 |
| Bluets |
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith, although sometimes it can be a metaphorical journey into someone's own beliefs.
 |
| Purple Phacelia and Robin's Plantain |
Since the GSMNP has over 500,000 acres, we didn't get to see everything, of course, but we usually put in 8 - 9 miles hiking each day in different parts of the park. Sessions covered wildflowers, of course, but ferns, mosses, trees and shrubs, birds, and other topics of interest to the nature pilgrim, led by experts in the field. Sometimes the leaders were a little too expert, and academic, so I appreciated anyone who spoke English rather than Latin when discussing the flowers!
 |
| Columbine |
One trip went to Cade's Cove for birding, following the winding road tucked between a roaring mountain stream and high limestone cliffs. You have to keep your eye on the road in such conditions, but my attention was distracted by bright red flowers clinging to the cliff as we rounded one corner. "Columbine!" I shouted, soon followed by "Fire Pink!" On the way back, we drove extra slowly, searching for the cliff with these two flowers we had seen nowhere else. A narrow pull off area allowed us to risk life and limb crossing the road to peer up at the rocks for columbine and fire pinks who prefer this habitat.
 |
| Fire Pink |
 |
| Painted Trillium |
Trilliums are the stars of the wildflowers in the Smokey Mountains, as we saw many different varieties, but my target for the week was the painted trillium, which I have never seen anywhere. We asked if anyone knew where they were, and only one group had spotted them on one certain trail. It rained all day, but we were determined to find them! So it's pouring as we make the 2.2 mile one-way climb up Porter Trail. As we began to think about giving up, we turned one last corner and there they were! About 15 painted trilliums grew on a large mossy boulder, shining wetly in the rain. I expected them to be as large as the others, but these were only 3 - 4 inches tall, probably due to the limited nutrition available when living on a rock! Laughing in triumph, we celebrated with BBQ at the bottom of the road.
 |
| Sweet White Trillium |
The large white trillium and yellow trilliums were more common than the painted trillium, but I never tired of seeing them. I don't know which is more beautiful - a hillside covered in trilliums or focusing in on the heart of just one perfect flower.
 |
| Yellow Trillium |
Although I avoid the Latin scientific names as much as possible, I'm starting to swing the other way. It's hard enough to recognize the plants and learn all the common names for them, but many related flowers, such as trilliums, are so similar and the multiple common names are so confusing, that I'm starting to learn Latin for them. Sigh!
 |
| Sweet Orchis |
Orchids are always a prize finding on any wildflower trip. The showy orchis bloomed everywhere...
 |
| Yellow Lady's Slipper |
...but we had to make a long hike for the yellow lady's slipper.
 |
| Maidenhair Fern |
What else did I learn on my pilgrimage? Take a magnifying glass or loupe along - it's essential for identifying most ferns, and fascinating for any plant. Learn the proper names for the parts as much as possible - the vocabulary doesn't transfer over from flowers to ferns. Mosses don't have common names at all, so I'll just make up my own. Get a small white umbrella to use as a filter for bright sunlight. Use low gear when driving downhill in the mountains, and pull off to let the speedsters pass while you enjoy the view. Don't let rain stop you. Everything dries once you get back to the motel, and you feel so strong by reaching you goal even in the rain. Take lots of Aleve for sore feet and back muscles. Be sure you have a fully charged extra battery for your camera. Yes, indeed, I was a nature pilgrim at the Wildflower Pilgrimage.
No comments:
Post a Comment