Not quite ready to discard the Winter Thread, as last week illustrated. But wildflowers should be happening in certain areas already. I've not been to Devils Fork or Jocassee lately, but I would bet there are Oconee Bells blooming, as well as other small, white early-season flowers.
Post wildflower updates here!
Posted by Thomas Biggs on March 7, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Posted by Thomas Biggs on March 13, 2009 at 12:35 AM
Was over by the Breaks Interstate Park today.... found some evidence of the coming spring. Was great to see, but then it started snowing Hopefully these guys will make it through.
Posted by jeff miller on March 15, 2009 at 1:09 PM
Nice shot Thomas. Love the warmth of the light!
Posted by Steve Hamley on March 19, 2009 at 11:55 AM
I think spring is late - very late. Usually by the third week of march, things are getting quite green in the river bottoms of the Clinch and Tennessee rivers, but it's still quite brown. I did the Smokies yesterday (3/18), and small spring flowers seem to be just coming in, while I've seen them in past years as early as March 4th.
Below is a post made yesterday 3/19 to Butternuts (yahoo group on E. TN and SW. VA nature) from a lady in Oak Ridge.
"I have heard about Porter's Creek trail in the Greenbriar area of the Smokies for years, but had never hiked it because it is such a long drive from Oak Ridge and I hate going through Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Gatlinburg (lame excuses, I know!). On Wednesday this week I went there with some friends. I expected to see a few of the very early blooming wildflowers, but I was amazed at what we saw. At the beginning of the trail we noticed lots of Spicebush, Round-leaf Violets, Carolina Spring Beauty, Star Chickweed and Bloodroot . When we stopped at the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin I finally got a photo of a Mourning Cloak Butterfly when it landed in the leaves. I had seen either a Comma or a Question Mark butterfly earlier. It didn't stay still long enough to give me a chance to look at the wing markings. A big surprise was waiting for us after we crossed the second log bridge and started climbing the hill! The entire area was carpeted in Sharp-lobed Hepatica, Carolina Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, Northern White and Halberd-leaf Violets, a couple of early Fringed Phacelia, Wild Ginger, and even some Dutchman's Breeches! Wow! The Seersucker and Fraiser's Sedge was blooming too. The trillium is in bud and should bloom in a couple of weeks. If you live in the area, it would definitely be worth the drive and hike (a little over 3 miles one way) to see the upper part of the trail in another week or so; it will be completely covered in Fringed Phacelia to the point it will look as though it has snowed! Another similar trail is at the Chimney Tops Picnic area. I'm looking forward to hearing other's wildflower reports. I'll be leading a wildflower hike at Frozen Head SP on Apr. 11 (10 a.m.), so I hope the wildflowers won't all bloom too soon! "
Hope this helps.
Mike
Posted by Thomas Biggs on March 21, 2009 at 11:32 AM
The entry road to Laurel Run Park at Churchill, TN is starting to look pretty good with Bloodroot, Squirrell Corn, & Dutchman's.. The Greenbelt walking trail in Kingsport, right under Hwy. 93, should have Trout Lily's by mid week.. Have a great wildflower season .
Posted by Steve Hamley on March 24, 2009 at 3:42 PM
Folks,
Here are links to road conditions and closures to aid in planning trips:
I was at Kingsport TN's Greenbelt park today and found a number of wildflowers blooming on the East end near the small waterfalls. A couple more days and it should be beautiful in the lower elevations (1200').
Posted by Chuck Bishop on April 6, 2009 at 10:36 AM
I was in the Smokies yesterday, April 5th.
Lots of people and a bright sunny day!
The redbuds are in bloom. There was white and yellow trillium in bloom in the lower elevations. (Townsend and Rt 441 up to the Mt LeConte overlook.)
Purple Phlox was just starting to come out below the Chimney Tops trail head along with some Phacelia. (No place to park at Hardwood Cove Trail).
I did also find some Trout Lillies!
Also, they had burned some of the fields in Cades Cove out by Hyatt Lane.
Posted by Daniel Ewert on April 6, 2009 at 11:40 PM
Can anyone say whether there are green leaves on the trees at lower elevations in GSMNP? I am thinking about going there this weekend if the trees are not all brown. Thanks for any help!
Daniel Ewert
Posted by Chuck Bishop on April 7, 2009 at 9:22 AM
There are very few green leaves to be seen yet in the Townsend area.
Might see more in a week.
The Gatlinburg end of Little River Rd, just past Laurel Falls trail head, shows a few leaves starting to come out.
Here is a picture of a well known tree in Cades Cove taken last Sunday.
I was at Big Creek on Saturday and there was a little green showing in the trees but still somewhat early there for the leaves. I'd bet the leaves are further along over on the Tennessee side. Blooming were the yellow trillium, sweet white trillium, white and purple phacelia, geranium, sweet shrub, fleabane, tooth wort, a few foam flower and others. A number of the showy orchis had buds and I would expect them to have been in bloom by now. Of course, the snow and freezing temps may have changed things significantly since Saturday. It was nice to see the water levels up from last year.
Harry Davis
Posted by david wahn on April 11, 2009 at 10:43 AM
Rumour is that spring is late to the Smokies....Can anyone post the latest conditions at GSMNP? Are the dogwoods blooming? Is there green on the trees?
Thanks in advance.
bf
Posted by Lori Kincaid on April 12, 2009 at 7:58 AM
I did the Porter Creek Trail to Fern Falls yesterday and the phacelia were a little rain beaten and past peak, but still shootable. There were some unopen buds, but more spent blooms. The buckeye trees had good leaf, but most other species were bare or just starting to leaf out with a bit of green, yellow, and red gracing the trees here and there along the trail. Large-flowered trillium at Long Branch was at peak, but rain damaged. The large-flowered trillium nearer the beginning of the trail was starting to fade to pink.
There are lots of other species blooming on Porter's Creek with plenty of opportunities for close-ups.
I haven't been into other parts of the park, but I doubt there's much green yet. Trees are starting to really leaf out in the Pigeon River gorge where the redbuds are well past peak. Foothills Parkway north (east) is showing a bit of color (more reds and yellows and a blush of green) in the lower elevations trees and I'd say the dogwoods are at about 50% open, with some more and some less. Redbuds are still shootable there but they won't last long.
A fellow on the Porter's Creek trail yesterday said Cove Hardwood looked a bit snow and frost damaged, but I haven't been there.
Hope this helps. Anybody else have anything to report?
Lori
Posted by Steve Hamley on April 12, 2009 at 9:44 PM
Folks,
I did the Little River Road, Greenbrier (Old Settler's trail), then down the Foothills Parkway, over to the Pigeon gorge and over Max Patch.
Wildflowers are good from the "Y" to Metcalf Bottoms. Lots of large trillium. Tremont still looks a little bare though, and the dogwood at the bridge that everyone's shot seems no more. Redbuds are good along this stretch.
MB to Fightin' Creek Gap doesn't look so hot, but immediately things pick up dogwood and redbud-wise down to the Sugarlands.
Greenbrier seems sparse. You'd have to hunt to find a dogwood in bloom, but I did not go up Porter's Creek Road or the Ramsey Cascades road past the Old Settler's Trail.
The Foothills Parkway looked very good although pulling something out of it might be difficult. I did see a nice cluster of dogwood and redbud right at the I-40 connection, so if you happen to be going by there and the light is right, you might want to stop by since it would only take a couple of minutes to check it out. It's right where the Parkway splits for the exits, on the right approaching I-40.
I thought the gorge was about peak as I didn't see a lot of redbud petals on the ground, but I didn't get to look much as my eyes were on the road.
Not much approaching Max Patch from I-40 (Harmon Den - exit 7) yet, and there's still some patchy snow on the summit slopes. Lots of red tree branches and buds, but not much else as expected at that altitude. I was contemplating whether to haul the 4x5 up there, but the new front seemed moving haze into the area so I didn't. The valleys along NC 209 from the bottom of Max Patch over to Fines Creek are green, green, green. This is a pretty part of the country and I just went for a ride.
Bottom line, it's starting up.
Cheers, Steve
Posted by Steve Hamley on April 13, 2009 at 9:10 PM
Update on Tremont and Cades Cove, 4/13/2009:
Looks like the dogwoods in Tremont have gone to leaf rather than blossom. The "bonsai dogwood" and it's neighbors are essentially bloomless, and I did not see many others.
Cades Cove is a little better, but not a lot. I noted instances where one dogwood had blossoms and another just a few feet away did not. There is sarvis blooming in the Cove. The small dogwood at the Sinks had just a blossom or two.
The Foothills Parkway west looked pretty good and had several nice dogwoods and redbuds. You could pull together a nice shot if you don't mind the road in it. and possibly others. Of particular future promise is a small dogwood flowering at one of the early pull offs where sunrises are very good. It's still too small to be a foreground object, but it has great promise if the road crews don't lop it off.
Sorry for the disappointing news, but it may save you some time.
Cheers,
Steve
Posted by Steve Hamley on April 15, 2009 at 7:37 PM
Did Roaring Fork today (4/15), and I think the jury's got a verdict. The wildflowers are about on time and the trees decided not to play.
The wake robins on Roaring Fork are numerous and at about peak, but the trees could almost be February. Very twiggy and barren, with buckeyes about the only source of green. Dogwood blooms are present, but still green from not being fully open.
And it's like that everywhere in the Park that I've been to so far.
Cheers, Steve
Posted by jeff miller on April 19, 2009 at 8:41 PM
Hiked Raven Cliff Falls off the Richard B.Russell Parkway in Georgia on Saturday. Trout Lilies, purple, yellow, and white violets are blooming. Also found Star Chickweed and Foam Flower along the trail. The trillium are probably a week away from bloom. Perfect day for a hike!
Posted by Bruce Watson on April 27, 2009 at 10:37 AM
Just got back from a week in GSM-NP. If you are into wildflowers, the spring ephemerals are at a peak rarely seen. My wife and I met an old guy on one of the trails near Townsend who said he'd been coming to the park every year for 45 years hunting wildflowers and that this year was the best he'd ever seen. He thought that the cool wet spring must have been just about perfect for whatever reason.
Indeed, the place is just lousy with all kinds of trillium, there are little patches (and some really big beautiful patches) of dwarf crested irises (I think -- my wife is the real wild flower enthusiast) where in past years they have been hard to find, and there are whole hillsides just covered in tiny white fringed phacelia. I'd post some pictures but I shoot 5x4 film so it'll be weeks before I can.
OTOH, if you are looking for dogwood and flowering trees, not so much. They seem to be later than normal all over the park, and less than normal too. But the ones that are in bloom are of course just beautiful.
Some years are better for some plants than others. This is the year for spring ephemerals, no question.
Discussion
23 repliesPost wildflower updates here!
What does everyone else think/
Cheers, Steve
Below is a post made yesterday 3/19 to Butternuts (yahoo group on E. TN and SW. VA nature) from a lady in Oak Ridge.
"I have heard about Porter's Creek trail in the Greenbriar area of the Smokies for years, but had never hiked it because it is such a long drive from Oak Ridge and I hate going through Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Gatlinburg (lame excuses, I know!). On Wednesday this week I went there with some friends. I expected to see a few of the very early blooming wildflowers, but I was amazed at what we saw. At the beginning of the trail we noticed lots of Spicebush, Round-leaf Violets, Carolina Spring Beauty, Star Chickweed and Bloodroot . When we stopped at the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin I finally got a photo of a Mourning Cloak Butterfly when it landed in the leaves. I had seen either a Comma or a Question Mark butterfly earlier. It didn't stay still long enough to give me a chance to look at the wing markings. A big surprise was waiting for us after we crossed the second log bridge and started climbing the hill! The entire area was carpeted in Sharp-lobed Hepatica, Carolina Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, Northern White and Halberd-leaf Violets, a couple of early Fringed Phacelia, Wild Ginger, and even some Dutchman's Breeches! Wow! The Seersucker and Fraiser's Sedge was blooming too. The trillium is in bud and should bloom in a couple of weeks. If you live in the area, it would definitely be worth the drive and hike (a little over 3 miles one way) to see the upper part of the trail in another week or so; it will be completely covered in Fringed Phacelia to the point it will look as though it has snowed! Another similar trail is at the Chimney Tops Picnic area. I'm looking forward to hearing other's wildflower reports. I'll be leading a wildflower hike at Frozen Head SP on Apr. 11 (10 a.m.), so I hope the wildflowers won't all bloom too soon! "
Hope this helps.
Mike
Here are links to road conditions and closures to aid in planning trips:
http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/seasonalroads.htm
Cheers,
Steve
Lots of people and a bright sunny day!
The redbuds are in bloom. There was white and yellow trillium in bloom in the lower elevations. (Townsend and Rt 441 up to the Mt LeConte overlook.)
Purple Phlox was just starting to come out below the Chimney Tops trail head along with some Phacelia. (No place to park at Hardwood Cove Trail).
I did also find some Trout Lillies!
Also, they had burned some of the fields in Cades Cove out by Hyatt Lane.
Daniel Ewert
Might see more in a week.
The Gatlinburg end of Little River Rd, just past Laurel Falls trail head, shows a few leaves starting to come out.
Here is a picture of a well known tree in Cades Cove taken last Sunday.
Harry Davis
Thanks in advance.
bf
There are lots of other species blooming on Porter's Creek with plenty of opportunities for close-ups.
I haven't been into other parts of the park, but I doubt there's much green yet. Trees are starting to really leaf out in the Pigeon River gorge where the redbuds are well past peak. Foothills Parkway north (east) is showing a bit of color (more reds and yellows and a blush of green) in the lower elevations trees and I'd say the dogwoods are at about 50% open, with some more and some less. Redbuds are still shootable there but they won't last long.
A fellow on the Porter's Creek trail yesterday said Cove Hardwood looked a bit snow and frost damaged, but I haven't been there.
Hope this helps. Anybody else have anything to report?
Lori
I did the Little River Road, Greenbrier (Old Settler's trail), then down the Foothills Parkway, over to the Pigeon gorge and over Max Patch.
Wildflowers are good from the "Y" to Metcalf Bottoms. Lots of large trillium. Tremont still looks a little bare though, and the dogwood at the bridge that everyone's shot seems no more. Redbuds are good along this stretch.
MB to Fightin' Creek Gap doesn't look so hot, but immediately things pick up dogwood and redbud-wise down to the Sugarlands.
Greenbrier seems sparse. You'd have to hunt to find a dogwood in bloom, but I did not go up Porter's Creek Road or the Ramsey Cascades road past the Old Settler's Trail.
The Foothills Parkway looked very good although pulling something out of it might be difficult. I did see a nice cluster of dogwood and redbud right at the I-40 connection, so if you happen to be going by there and the light is right, you might want to stop by since it would only take a couple of minutes to check it out. It's right where the Parkway splits for the exits, on the right approaching I-40.
I thought the gorge was about peak as I didn't see a lot of redbud petals on the ground, but I didn't get to look much as my eyes were on the road.
Not much approaching Max Patch from I-40 (Harmon Den - exit 7) yet, and there's still some patchy snow on the summit slopes. Lots of red tree branches and buds, but not much else as expected at that altitude. I was contemplating whether to haul the 4x5 up there, but the new front seemed moving haze into the area so I didn't. The valleys along NC 209 from the bottom of Max Patch over to Fines Creek are green, green, green. This is a pretty part of the country and I just went for a ride.
Bottom line, it's starting up.
Cheers, Steve
Looks like the dogwoods in Tremont have gone to leaf rather than blossom. The "bonsai dogwood" and it's neighbors are essentially bloomless, and I did not see many others.
Cades Cove is a little better, but not a lot. I noted instances where one dogwood had blossoms and another just a few feet away did not. There is sarvis blooming in the Cove. The small dogwood at the Sinks had just a blossom or two.
The Foothills Parkway west looked pretty good and had several nice dogwoods and redbuds. You could pull together a nice shot if you don't mind the road in it. and possibly others. Of particular future promise is a small dogwood flowering at one of the early pull offs where sunrises are very good. It's still too small to be a foreground object, but it has great promise if the road crews don't lop it off.
Sorry for the disappointing news, but it may save you some time.
Cheers,
Steve
The wake robins on Roaring Fork are numerous and at about peak, but the trees could almost be February. Very twiggy and barren, with buckeyes about the only source of green. Dogwood blooms are present, but still green from not being fully open.
And it's like that everywhere in the Park that I've been to so far.
Cheers, Steve
Indeed, the place is just lousy with all kinds of trillium, there are little patches (and some really big beautiful patches) of dwarf crested irises (I think -- my wife is the real wild flower enthusiast) where in past years they have been hard to find, and there are whole hillsides just covered in tiny white fringed phacelia. I'd post some pictures but I shoot 5x4 film so it'll be weeks before I can.
OTOH, if you are looking for dogwood and flowering trees, not so much. They seem to be later than normal all over the park, and less than normal too. But the ones that are in bloom are of course just beautiful.
Some years are better for some plants than others. This is the year for spring ephemerals, no question.