FLAT LAUREL CREEK WITH MATT BUSHMAN - July 12, 2018
The walk at Flat Laurel Creek with Matt Bushman was another wonderful SAPS adventure.
Most of us had been on the trail before, but it felt new to see it with Matt as he pointed out the many unusual, rare and beautiful species in this diverse landscape. An added bonus was having Dan Pittillo (and all his knowledge and history) with us. We loved listening to Dan and Matt discuss various species.
We started the morning with a walk to a cranberry bog where (in addition to mountain cranberry), we saw Green Woodland Orchids and an overwhelming number of Twayblade Orchids. On the Laurel Creek Trail, we saw masses of Bush Honeysuckle and the beautiful St. John’s Wort, Hypericum graveolens. The trail then opened into a meadow, which was a former disturbed NC Wildlife Commission wildlife opening that was converted to a native seed nursery trail bed 20 years ago - interesting meadow plants including native and non-native grasses. We lunched on rocks at Flat Laurel Creek and finished the walk through a wooded area. The woods opened up, with lovely vistas (and no rain!) as we returned to the parking area.
On the way back, some of us stopped at the Wolf Mountain Overlook and the wonderful rock cliff seep with its rare and unusual species that we never tire of.
Our list of species was long and varied, but I’ve not listed them here.
As usual, it’s Karen’s photos that tell it best.
 |
| Green Wood Orchis/Habenaria clavellata |
 |
Turk's-Cap Lily/
lilium superbum |
 |
| Turk's Cap Lily |
 |
| Round Leaf Sundew |
 |
| wet trail with St. John's Wort |
 |
| Gentiana lavadens/Blue Ridge Gentian |
 |
| crossing Laurel Creek |
 |
| Matt and Dan instructing |
 |
Club Moss Clovinia |
 |
| Laurel Creek |
 |
| looking for rare moss |
 |
| Blue Ridge Dandelion |
 |
| Jean and Dan on our wet trail |
 |
| Lunch stop |
 |
| Jerry at lunch |
 |
| Sweet-scented Joe Pye/Eupatorium purpureum |
 |
| Kathy and Jean |
 |
| Laurel Creek |
 |
| Lucy crossing the creek |
 |
| Lunch on the rocks |
 |
| Maleberry/Lyonia ligustrina |
 |
| Mint |
 |
| Shining Club Moss |
 |
| Smokey Mountain Manor Grass |
 |
| St. John's Wort |
 |
| Twayblade Orchid smalii |
 |
| Appalachian Bergomet fistrilosa |
 |
| Bush Honeysuckle |
 |
| Thermopolis velosa |
 |
| Cranberry blooms |
 |
| Cranberry blooms up close |
 |
| Blazing Star/Liatris |
 |
| Matt and dodder |
 |
| Matt showing plant |
 |
| Matt |
 |
| Twayblade/Listera smalii |
 |
| Pink Turtlehead/Chelone lyoni |
 |
| St. John's Wort/ Hypericum graveolens |
 |
| Fireweed/Epilobium angustifolium |
 |
| Fireweed blooming up the stem |
 |
| Stitchwort/Stellaria |
 |
| Getting ready |
 |
| prelude |
 |
| We are ready |
 |
| Questions |
 |
| at the Cranberry bog |
 |
| Cranberries |
 |
| one bloom |
 |
Witch Hobble/Viburnum
Below are photos from Wolf Mountain Overlook and the wet rocks across the road:
|
 |
| Sticky Asphodel |
 |
| Dan and Sundrop |
 |
| Appalachian Sundrop/ Oenothera tetragona |
 |
| seed capsules |
 |
| Wolf Lake |
 |
| Hypericum bucklei |
 |
| Canadian Burnet/Sanguisorba canadensis |
 |
| Dandelion |
 |
| Don and Dan |
 |
| Fire Pink/Silene virginica |
 |
| Grass-of-Parnassus |
 |
| Rhododendron maximum |
