Today (3/07/15) was one of the rare days so far this year – mostly clear skies and warmer weather – into the 60’s. That made for a great day to get down to The Pocket for a status update. There’s not a lot of change concerning which species are blooming (with an exception) – but those that have been blooming are picking up the pace a lot. The one new species I found blooming – Carolina Spring Beauty; a single plant along the trail to the falls.

Carolina Spring Beauty – Claytonia caroliniana

Since we’ve had more snow, ice, rain, and cold since the last report (just a week ago), it wasn’t a huge surprise that there wasn’t a lot more blooming, but those that are blooming are really getting into it now –

• Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis) – There were only a few blooming last week, now they are plentiful, especially up along the Pocket Loop Trail.

Sharp-lobed Hepatica – Hepatica nobilis

• Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) – I expected more, but there were quite a few plants blooming.

Cutleaf Toothwort – Cardamine concatenata

• Harbinger-of-Spring (Erigenia bulbosa) – These are at peak right now, if these diminutive flowers can be called “peaking.”

Harbinger-of-Spring – Erigenia bulbosa blooming over the Geranium leaves.

There is a lot of foliage showing up – Virginia Bluebell, Wood Poppy, Trailing Trillium,  Purple Phacelia, Columbine, Robin’s Plantain, Woodland Stonecrop, and Geranium to name a few, promising a lot of excitement in the weeks to come.

And the falls were great with all the rain we got this week.

Pocket Creek Falls – Lots of recent rain…

I ran into a very nice hiking group from Chattanooga – The Cumberlands Hiking Club. Their group made the hike up to the falls, including the traverse of the several trees that are down across the trail.

Cumberlands Hiking Club