Wildflower hike at Black Rock Mountain State Park on the Tennessee Rock Trail with Don Fisher on May 24, 2016

It was a beautiful day as 17 people greeted Don at the trailhead and began a wildflower adventure in a beautiful, lush, rich deciduous forest.
Thick with Cinnamon, New York, Rattlesnake, and Christmas ferns; and the sweet song of birds; especially, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Black-throated Green Warblers, Parula Warblers, and the loud call of the Oven Birds, along with many blooming plants; this forest was full of so
much to enjoy.  The plant of the day was the abundant Indian Cucumber Root which was in bloom.   We plied Don with many questions and he did not disappoint with his experience and knowledge of the plants.  Thank you Don!

Below the boulder field

Zigzag Spiderwort:  Tradescantia subaspera

Yellow Birch tree

Arriving

Getting ready

Meeting up

Rhododendron catawbiense

Indian Cucumber Root; Medeola virginiana

hikers and ferns

Carolina Lily; Lilium michauxii

Catesby's Trillium; Trillium catesbaei

Don and Dan

Don

Galax; Galax urceolata

George

Great Solomon's Seal; Polygonatum canaliculatum

Hudsonian Bluets; Houstonia purpurea

Maple Leaf Viburnum;  Viburnum acerifolium

Maple Leaf Viburnum

Perfoliate Bellwort; Uvularia perfoliata

Rattlesnake Fern

Rockcap Fern and Galax

Rockcap Fern

Sisters

Sweet Shrub; Calycanthus floridus

A visit to a restored Bog with Carrie Radcliffe

What a special experience to have Carrie lead us into this amazing restored bog.  A lot of work has been done by many cooperating institutions and agencies to get this bog opened up so the plants and the water can create a wonderful habitat for bog loving plants and animals.  We saw Purple Pitcher Plants that are multiplying, learned about their morphological and evolutional adaptations.
Crossing the bog we were awed by the sight of the Swamp Pink plants in bloom- 22 towering racemes adorned by rose-pink florets with bright blue anthers - that had been planted nearly 5 years ago by Carrie as part of the Georgia Plant Conservation Safeguarding program.  Now we were here to help put in 15 more plants under Carrie's direction,  as she taught us more about this special habitat where bog turtles and rare plants have found a home.
Lunch was enjoyed in Crested Iris Cove thanks to Jerry Mason for having us and of course we saw many Dwarf Crested Irises and were serenaded by a Louisiana Water Thrush.
Several photographers were on this trip documenting our experience.   Thanks to David Fann for the following:

Swamp Pinks

Swamp Pinks in the bog

Planting a new Swamp Pink in the sphagnum moss

Swamp Pink Flower part

Pink Lady's Slipper

Small-flowered Phacelia

Karen Lawrence added a few images:

Painted Trillium

Red Salamander

Swamp Pink

Carrie with tiny seedling of Swamp Pink

Pink Lady's Slipper