Return to Lula Lake

I’d recently heard that the area was open to the public one or two days a month, and my son-in-law took several of his kids up there in April, thoroughly enjoying the visit.  When my wife’s brother and his family came for a visit from Florida and wanted to hike in the mountains, this seemed like a great opportunity for my first visit to the reopened area, especially since Cindy’s brother Steve hadn’t been to the area in about 30 years.  Saturday morning we packed some snacks, grabbed some grandkids, and our crew of 10 headed up the mountain.

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Southern Showy Skullcap – Scutellaria pseudoserrata – Added to USWildflowers Database

Southern Showy Skullcap, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database.  Scientific name is Scutellaria pseudoserrata.  This plant also goes by the common name Falseteeth Skullcap which is the USDA National Common Name for Scutellaria pseudoserrata.

Southern Showy Skullcap - Scutellaria pseudoserrata

Dwarf Violet Iris – Iris verna – Added to USWildflowers Database

Dwarf Violet Iris, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database.  Scientific name is Iris verna.  This plant also goes by the common names Vernal Iris, Spring Iris, and Dwarf Iris.

Dwarf Violet Iris - Iris verna

Virginia Strawberry – Fragaria virginiana – Added to USWildflowers Database

Virginia Strawberry, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database.  Scientific name is Fragaria virginiana.  This plant also goes by the common name Wild Strawberry.

Virginia Strawberry - Fragaria virginiana

Lanceleaf Coreopsis – Coreopsis lanceolata – Added to USWildflowers Database

Lanceleaf Coreopsis, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database.  Scientific name is Coreopsis lanceolata.  This plant also goes by the common name Lanceleaf Tickseed.

Lanceleaf Coreopsis - Coreopsis lanceolata

Carolina Silverbell – Halesia tetraptera – Added to USWildflowers Database

Carolina Silverbell, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database.  Scientific name is Halesia tetraptera.  This plant also goes by the common name Mountain Silverbell.

Carolina Silverbell - Halesia tetraptera

Sessileleaf Bellwort – Uvularia sessilifolia – Added to USWildflowers Database

Sessileleaf Bellwort, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database.  Scientific name is Uvularia sessilifolia.  This plant also goes by the common names Wild Oats and Sessile Bellwort. 

Sessileleaf Bellwort - Uvularia sessilifolia

USWildflowers.com Website Update – State Reference Page

Two small changes to the State Reference Page on USWildflowers.com.

1. Randomized the thumbnails representing each color of species for the queried state.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but never took the time to track down how to randomize the species selection query results.  Turned out to be a simple clause addition to the MySQL query.  I’m pleased with the results.  You get a different thumbnail for each color each time you hit the page.  I’ve also restricted those thumbnails to select only from the U.S. native plants. 
2. Added a Google Adsense advertisement at the bottom.  Sorry, folks, but these haven’t seemed to  be too intrusive, and I’m still trying to break even on that monthly web hosting fee.

Vasey’s Trillium – Trillium vaseyi – Added to USWildflowers Database

Vasey's Trillium - Trillium vaseyi

Gray Beardtongue – Penstemon canescens – Added to USWildflowers Database

Gray Beardtongue - Penstemon canescens

Green Pitcher Plant – Sarracenia oreophila– Added to USWildflowers Database

Green Pitcher Plant, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database.  Scientific name is Sarracenia oreophila. 

Green Pitcher Plant - Sarracenia oreophila

Puttyroot – Aplectrum hyemale – Added to USWildflowers Database

Puttyroot, a native orchid species, has been added to the USWildflowers database.  Scientific name is Aplectrum hyemale.  This plant also goes by the common name Adam and Eve.

Puttyroot (Orchid) - Aplectrum hyemale

Perfoliate Bellwort – Uvularia perfoliata – Added to USWildflowers Database

Perfoliate Bellwort, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database.  Scientific name is Uvularia perfoliata.  This plant also goes by the common name  Merry Bells.

Perfoliate Bellwort - Uvularia perfoliata

Wild Comfrey – Cynoglossum virginianum – Added to USWildflowers Database

Wild Comfrey, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database. Scientific name is Cynoglossum virginianum.  This genus to which this plant belongs is known by the common name Hound’s Tongue.

Wild Comfrey - Cynoglossum virginianum

April 2010 Native Plant of the Month – Wild Geranium

Based on the number of visits to the the wildflower detail pages in the month of April, Wild Geranium - Geranium maculatum - is the USWildflowers Native Wildflower of the Month for April, 2010. 

Wild Geranium - Geranium maculatum

Check out USWildflowers Journal articles referencing Wild Geranium.