We stopped to see the elk along the way.
The elk were a bit of a surprise. We were way up high on a side road off the Blue Ridge parkway, far above Cataloochee valley where the elk are supposed to roam. These all looked young. Some were not collared. The herd is growing.
At the very beginning of our walk, I spotted a ground cover quantity of the native orchid Rattlesnake Plantain, Goodyera pubescens. We have these.
The endpoint and turn back destination was an old clearing some where on top of the Cataloochee Divide. The meadow there was filled with blooming Green Headed Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata. We have those.
Rumor has it Fly Poison can be found nearby. I saw a white monarda I had never seen before.
Sections of fence remained from a time long ago.
I saw several places with a most interesting deep forest lawn. There were two kinds of lawn. One looked like a grass. This one might be a sedge. I liked it. I want one. The intriguing part was they were such pure stands of this lawn like look with little else growing in them. How does this happen?
Is this Golden Seal, another valuable mountain medicinal herb? I checked online. It is close, but not quite right. I don't know who this is.
I saw a number of interesting botanical things on a walk in the park on a perfect afternoon.
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6 comments:
Wish I was there. Heat index of 105 today :(
How nice to be able to be up where you would even want to be out and about. The elk are handsome beasts.
White Monarda is so rare......and the Rudebecia is a mass of yellow and beautiful.
Can't wait to see what's blooming on my Wolfpen!
Remember the plant in #3. Had it in edge of woods.
Is it possibly a May Apple? Podophyllum peltatum. They carry a multi-petaled white flower beneath the umbrella of leaves in the spring, which turns into a fruit. They usually form big colonies along the edges of woods and clearings. Ours are looking a bit yellowed and tatty this time of the year, but in higher elevations, they might still be nice and green.
Carol it isn't a Mayapple for sure. I have tons of that.
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