Brush Creek

It's hard to believe that Spring is about over, or at least Ephemeral season. I spent a couple of afternoons at Brush Creek Preserve this week and saw great wildflowers. 

Large Flowering Trillium

Southern Red Trillium

Red Trillium

Mitrewort

The season has been very dry and Hepatica made very few appearances, but I was able to see several wild flowers that I had not seen  at Brush Creek before. Mitrewort was on the wet rocks along with the walking fern. Wild Ginger was everywhere, but I had missed it the last few years. 

Wild Ginger

Columbine 

Red Bud

Jack In The Pulpit

Long Spurred Violet

Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia

After spending several days of my Spring Break in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, I spent Friday in the mountains of my home state. I was 'fishing' in a trout stream within the New River  Gorge National River, which is also one of my favorite wildflower areas. I had not been there in early spring and I was very surprised at the variety and abundance of flowers. It rivals Brush Creek Preserve, my very favorite spot. I saw almost everything here that I saw in the Smokies, and more, all with a hours drive of home.

White Variety of Wild Blue Phlox

I was seeing the Blue Phlox everywhere, as I was walking in to begin fishing. But, immediately, I was distracted by the white variety of the Phlox. This was the only clump of white that I saw. Its no wonder that I hardly ever catch trout, I am too busy photographing the flowers.

#310- Dwarf Larkspur

 Then, I began seeing the Dwarf Larkspur. I had seen it in the past near Morgantown, but missed it last year during my Big Year. In Morgantown, there was a great variety of colors, but everyone I saw here was this amazing dark blue.

The next flower that I found was another that I missed last year. Red Sessile Trillium. I was very surprised to see this one. The small plants escaped my attention as I walked in, but I stumbled on them as I came out. I saw them no where else in the area.
Here it is mixed with Wild Blue Phlox

#311 - Red Sessile Trillium

#312 - Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger

I just found Wild Ginger for the first time in the Smoky Mountains this week and then I find it in West Virginia  for the first time today. It is closely related to the Virginia Heartleaf that I see often.

  

Another new flower for me. #313 -  Large Flower Bellwort

 I found two color varieties of Wood Betony. The first yellow one was being worked by a busy Bumble Bee
The next one had more of a peach/red look to it.

Wood Betony

Wood Betony

Purple Trillium

Canada Violet

Cut-leaved Toothwort

Rue Anemone

Odd Colored Trout Lily

Trout Lily

Beetle Party on Squirrel Corn
These appear to be Red-Necked False Blister Beetles. They eat pollen and mate on flowers in the spring

Squirrel Corn 

Dutchman's Breeches

Bishops Cap

Red Bud 

First Orchid of the Season

Grandview has produced one of my favorite wildflowers and the first orchid of the year. Showy Orchis.

#51- Showy Orchis 

It took quite awhile for me to find these in West Virginia even though they are wide spread. I remember making many trips along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail in Gatlinburg, TN during family vacations. We spend time there about every year and I  hit the road every morning at daylight and get a couple hours of hiking in then back to the motel to take the family to breakfast and start the daily tourist things. Now days the grand kids are at the perfect age to tag along and they enjoy the mountains as much as I do.
           I also found a few more wildflowers at Grandview today.

#52- Squaw Root (If Audubon calls it a flower, so do I)

#53 Fire Pink

#54- Appalachian barren strawberry

#55 -Carolina Silverbell  (Mountain Silverbell) some say they're the same, others do not

#56- Sweet Cicely

The violet below is one that I find several of every year  in this one area of 

Grandview. It is in the same area as Canada Violets, so it may be a color variation. 

Piney Canyon

Piney Canyon is home to Piney River, an important feature in the history of Beckley, WV.  It was a travel route by foot and horse and then a railroad for timber and coal. The cities founder had a grist mill on its waters.It is relatively quite today with only an occasional train. The coal mines are gone, the early 20th century community has vanished with almost no trace. It is a great place to hike and spot wildflowers. I had another after school event, so I spent an hour or so hiking into and then out of the canyon, once again in shirt and tie like a country gentleman.

#40- Foam Flower

#41- Sweet White Violet

Mixed Group- Spurred Violet, Chickweed and Sweet White Violet

Red Trillium

Had another after school meeting, so I spent an hour or so at Grandview Park, part of the New River Gorge National River. I found a nice rock cliff with Squirrel Corn growing all around its base. A new West Virginia wildflower for me, I have seen it in other states.

#38- Squirrel Corn

#39- Canada Violet

#42- Chickweed...non-native

Brush Creek and Trillium

I went to Brush Creek after work today and put in a couple of miles hiking. I was specifically after what I think is a 2nd red Trillium that is there, the Southern Red Trillium. I found it last year and had helping ID'ing it as Trillium sulcatum, Southern Red Trillium. I will high light the two below. I found several new wildflowers in bloom and all of the Trillium were at peak bloom with heavy rain coming tonight to knock them down. I had to take pictures of every new clusters of trillium, in every possible position, against a tree, against a rock, against moss, ferns. There were so many and they looked great and they demanded to be photographed; I mean it, I heard them: "Pssstt, hey, over here, please take our picture. You have to, we will never look this good again, we'll be gone soon. We look better than the last twenty pictures you took of trillium. Pleeeeease."
Many pictures to follow, I may need to add captions later, Its been a long day and another one tomorrow. 

#27- Southern Red Trillium (Trillium sulcatum)

Red trillium (Trillium erectum)

Southern Red Trillium

#36- Pussytoes

#28- Serviceberry (We call'em 'sarvice' and we eat them)

#29- Hispid Buttercup ?

#30- Ragwort

#31- Common Purple Violet

#32- Red Bud

#33- Black Mustard

#34- Wild Geranium 

#35- Wild Blue Phlox

Golden Alexander