Piney River

In honor of springtime and Super Park Saturday, I am digging into my archives. These shots are from spring of two years ago (has it really been that long?!?), when I was living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

We took a hike, based solely on a listing in a guidebook, through this area. I'm not sure that you could technically call it a park, but the public was definitely welcome to follow this trail through lands held by the Bowater Southern Paper Corporation. Many parts of the trail followed one or another of several streams. This one had pleasing falls.

I don't know what type of feathered friend layed these eggs. The nest was at ground level, tucked in a rotting stump. I chanced upon them while looking at some wildflowers blooming nearby.

And lastly, I posted lots of wildflower pictures last April, but I don't believe I ever got around to posting any stonecrop, so I thought I'd throw this in here.

Mad Skills of Goat Girl may not be publishing an SPS post quite yet - but all is forgiven, because she is seeking out tons of new park pictures in the four corners area of the U.S! She'll post as soon as internet access allows :) If you'd like to join us on our parkstravaganza, just sign up right here, and we'll check out your parks, too!

Cades Cove

An panoramic shot from the Smoky Mountains, taken on the same trip as the picture below. You can get a better sense of it if you click on it.

April 30: Mountain Laurel

I'm ending the month with Pennsylvania's state flower, Mountain Laurel. Don't tell anybody, but I took this picture in Tennessee!

April 29: Spring Beauty, Squirrel Corn, Wild Geranium, and Rue Anemone

I am nearly at the end of April and I still have a lot of flowers to put on display, so you get an end-of-the-month four pack of blooms. These four are common springtime wildflowers in Pennsylvania and in Tennessee. I have pictures of each from both places. Spring Beauty is above; Squirrel Corn is below.


Wild Geranium above; Rue Anemone below. This particular anemone appears to have a double flower. Most anemone blooms don't have the extra layer of petals.

April 27: Angelica (I think)

On top of Roan Mountain in Tennessee.

April 26: Lady Slipper Orchids

These are flowers with highly unusual shapes!

April 24: Trout Lily

Here's another familiar flower that I remember from the time spent on my grandparent's farm. I remember that the leaves of the lilies sometimes nearly covered the banks of the creek.

April 23: Doll's Eyes (White Baneberry)

April 20: Mistflower

This lovely blue flower isn't a spring wildflower at all, but I couldn't resist including it. I found it growing in Cumberland Gap in September of last year.

April 19: Nodding and Spotted Mandarin

Mandarins are in the lily family. This one is the "nodding" variety. Below is Spotted Mandarin.

April 18: Shrub Yellowroot

This plant is funny because it normally grows with its leaves and flowers sprouting out the top of a long thin woody stem. This one was growing out the side of a rock outcrop so its hard to see its unique construction.

April 17: Bloodroot

I think the name is given because the roots have a reddish color. Bloodroot is one of the earlier bloomers in the forest.

April 16: Dwarf Crested Iris

One of the classic flowers of the Smokies, and East Tennessee in general. These two are out on the Cumberland Plateau.

April 15: Polygala

Polygala is another flower I found in the woods of home and brought excitedly back to Grandma to identify. Polygala has such an unusual shape. I was amazed when I first ran across it. And I have to admit, I thought Grandma was making stuff up when she told me it was something called "polygala." A common name for it is "Gay Wings", hinting at the shape of the petals.

April 8: Violets, Part 3

Beaked Violet, above. Sweet White Violet, below.


A Canadian Violet, in harsh lighting. This is the last violet, I promise :)

April 7: Violets, Part 2

Bird's Foot Violet, above. Halberd-Leaved Violet, below.

April 6: Violets, Part 1

Above are roundleaf yellow violets; below is a wood violet. There are many species of violets out there, and I am reasonably sure that I've identified these correctly. But sometimes sorting out the different types really stumps me (phlox is the same way)!

April 4: Celandine Poppy

I'm not 100% sure of this identification (or some of of the others, I'll let you know when I'm not). I found this poppy in deep shade along the Clinch River just below Norris Dam. TVA has a wonderful trail that traverses the side of a steep hill that follows the river. Because Norris Dam is high, very cold water is released from its bottom to keep the Clinch River flowing. You often find an eerie fog in the morning and evening because of the difference in temperatures between air and water. I have pictures of this, somewhere, on a back-up cd :)

April 3: Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger is one of the earliest bloomers, and one of the stranger looking ones, too. It's a low-lying vine that's usually found in or near running water. Therefore, the Smokies in springtime were full of it!

I liked the following picture because you can see the texture of the stems and petals.

April 1: Wake Robin (Purple or Red Trillium)

This trillium is also known as "Wake Robin" because it blooms about the time that robins return for the spring. Another common name is "Stinking Benjamin" because, yes, the flower does smell bad. One guide book I have describes the scent as "wet dog"!