Due to rain and obligations, it had been 9 days since I’d been down to The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain. Today was the Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church’s Keen-agers’ annual (I think) wildflower hike at The Pocket, so at 10 AM I joined the other folks in my age group at the church, and soon we headed on down to Pigeon Mountain. I returned from the hike with 381 photographs; two of them with people in them. After an initial run through the photographs, I’ve deleted about 150 of them; both photos of people remain.

This being a very beautiful day, the area around The Pocket was as crowded as I’ve ever seen it. However, in addition to enjoying our CVPC group, I had several pleasant discussions with other folks about the flowers.    After our CVPC group walked the boardwalk, I extended my walk to head over toward Blue Bird Gap.  But that will be a different post. 

As has become my habit, here is my report list:

• Baneberry:  The white baneberry was just starting to bloom last trip up – 9 days ago, but I left them off the list.  There were severaly nicely-flowering plants along the boardwalk. 
• Bellwort: Many large-flowered bellwort are blooming.  I believe they are at their peak.
• Blue cohosh:  Still Blooming.
• Blue phlox:  Very abundant and beautiful.  Many of the plants still have unopened blossoms, but these may be the dominant flower in the area right now.
• Chickweed:  Blooming profusely. 
• Columbine:  I didn’t take the creekside walk past the end of the boardwalk, but there are a number of them blooming along the horse trail, on the side-trail down to the falls, and I saw some on a rock across the creek beside the creek trail.
• Foamflower:  Many nice bunches along the creek.
• Hepatica:  I’m not sure I saw a single hepatic bloom, I believe they’re gone.
• Hyacinth:  There were a few plants with a couple of the blooms open.
• Iris:  Crested dwarf iris are blooming profusely along the horse trail.

• Jack in the Pulpit:  In addition to the ones seen 9 days ago along the horse trail, I spotted two along the boardwalk.
• Mandarin:  Several very nice plants blooming along the boardwalk.
• Miterwort (Bishop’s cap):  I didn’t notice them this week, probably because I didn’t walk the creek trail.
• Purple phacelia: Still beautiful, but just past peak along the boardwalk and creek. 
• Rue anemone:  Fewer than a week ago, but still easy to find.
• Solomon’s seal:  Many with little buds starting on them. 
• Spring Beauty:  I didn’t spot a single one; I believe they’re gone.
• Stonecrop:  I think there were a few blooms on the stonecrop last week, but seem to be about or just before peak right now.

• * Squawroot:  This very interesting plant is blooming now.
• Toadshade / Sweet Betsy:  Both are blooming; I’m calling “peak.”
• Toothworts: Just a  few with blossoms remaining.
• Trailing trillium: At peak, beautiful.
• Virginia bluebell: Numerous but past peak.
• Wild geranium:  Numerous everywhere.
• *Wood Betony:  AKA Lousewort, but I like the name ‘wood betony’ better.  I’ve been watching the population along the driveway down to the beginning of the boardwalk, and they are blooming beautifully now.
• Wood (celandine) poppy: Numerous; maybe past peak.
• Violets:
  • Canada violets:  Everywhere.  The extension to the right goes into an area that could be called stunning with thousands of these beautiful flowers.  Lawton Massengill reports that extension was built specifically to go out into that violet area.
  • Common blue violet:  Numerous; beautiful.
  • Downy yellow violet:  Hundreds of them.
  • Long-spurred violets: Quite numerous everywhere.  These probably challenge the Canada violets for numbers.

* First flowering this season