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 

Smoky Mountain Spring Wildflowers

This is the second post about the Smoky Mountains and a recent trip there. The first was using cell phone pictures and posted from mobile blogger and will be deleted. This post is improved, using better pictures and the pictures from an additional hike. When the grand kids told me that we were going to the Smokies during the second week of April, I realized that it was prime time for Spring flowers. I researched some and choose two trails to focus on. I had first considered White Oak Sinks again, a trail that i had done in summer, but the descriptions all named flowers that I will be seeing here in a few more days. So I choose Porters Creek Trail and Cove Hardwood Nature Trail.
           The weather was unbelievable; day one on April 13 was balmy when I left the hotel at 5:30 AM headed for Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier section of the Smoky Mountains. I jumped the gun a little, so I began walking in the dark and completed the four mile round trip in time to meet the family for breakfast.  The wildflowers were unbelievable in abundance and I saw quite a few new ones. The end of the trail had a great waterfall.

White Fringed Phacelia (new for me)

White Fringed Phacelia was  one reason I choose Porters Creek; it was new for me and supposed to be amazing. It was. This  picture shows how it carpeted the forest and the smell was terrific. 

Large Flowering Trillium

Sweet White Trillium ( white variety of Trillium erectum)

Nodding Trillium  Trillium flexipes  ??

Yellow Trillium

Large Flowering Trillium and Blue Phlox

Squirrel Corn

Wild Ginger (new for me)

Wild ginger 

Trout Lilly

Bishops Cap or Miter Wort

 Blue Cohosh(new for me)

Yellow Mandarin

Dwarf Ginseng

Dutchman's Breeches 

Jack in the Pulpit

Brook Lettuce (Saxifraga micranthidifolia)

Stonecrop

Dwarf Crested Iris

 Day Two was rain all day. I drove the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail with a grand kid and spotted Virginia Bluebells, another new one for me.They are supposed to be common in West Virginia, but I can't find them.

Day Three was really interesting; as much of the East experienced, we had snow in Gatlinburg

 and higher elavations were snow covered when I headed out a 6:30 AM. I was headed for 

Cove Hardwood Nature Trail, hoping it was at low enough elevation to find wildflowers. Nope. 

Everything froze solid and snow covered. I hiked it anyways and enjoyed it. I traveled back

down to lower elevations and found some nice flowers. Overall, a great three day trip.