Flowering Dogwood – Native Plant of the Day 04/12/2018
Photo from 04/11/2009. Location: The Pocket, Walker County, GA.
More photos / info at the Cornus florida detail page.
Flowering Dogwood – Cornus florida
I’ve been out of town a couple of times since my last report – over 2 weeks since then – so I didn’t know what I’d find at The Pocket when I headed down there today. But it was plenty, and well worth the trip. I counted 41 species blooming. While Purple Phacelia may be the most prolific bloomer right now, the highlight for me was the beautiful, near-peak of the Wild Hyacinth. (Click here for all Pocket status reports.)
Wild Hyacinth – Camassia scilloides
Another 10 days during the ‘peak development period’ of wildflowers at The Pocket had passed since I’d last been there, and I won’t be able to get down to The Pocket for another week due to other commitments, so in spite of the cloudy weather, I took advantage of an almost free afternoon to get an update. It was a beautiful (if chilly) day today, so I headed down there for a more leisurely visit. A couple of surprises along with what was expected (including the Bent White Trillium) – I counted 38 species blooming.
Bent White Trillium – Trillium flexipes at The Pocket
It had been 10 days during the ‘peak development period’ of wildflowers at The Pocket since I’d last been there, and nearly a month since my only “full inventory” of the season (5 species). It was a beautiful (if chilly) day today, so I headed down there for a more leisurely visit. Definitely worthwhile, and if you want to see the Dutchmen’s Breeches this year, better get there soon. That being said, I counted 29 species blooming.
Large-flowered Bellwort – Uvularia grandiflora
We weren’t planning on going to The Pocket today. It was beautiful, and I’d heard some rumors that piqued an interest in another site – didn’t pan out, but on our way home we passed within a couple of miles of The Pocket, so at the last minute we decided to check it out. We’d seen on Facebook that Dutchmen’s Breeches were blooming in the Smokies, so I wanted to check to see if they were blooming at the pocket – see below; they were!
Dutchman’s Breeches – Dicentra cucullaria
This is an incomplete update on the wildflowers at The Pocket on Pigeon Mountain – I got an “urgent” call from my wife as I approached the back of the boardwalk, so it covers only a very small part of the area. Fortunately, and I didn’t know until I got home, the urgent call wasn’t an emergency call – our granddaughter had returned a few days early from a months-long mission trip to Mexico and South America, and we were fortunate enough to get to have lunch with her – our middle granddaughter – and our youngest granddaughter. Sorry, but I’ve got my priorities.
Even with the much shortened walk, I spotted 13 species blooming along the boardwalk, including what I consider to be the crown jewel of the early wildflowers – Bloodroot.
Bloodroot at The Pocket
Star Chickweed – Native Plant of the Day 02/27/2018
Photo from 2/21/2010. Location: The Pocket, Walker County GA.
More photos / information at the Stellaria pubera detail page.
Star Chickweed – Stellaria pubera
While we had a very cold January, February warmed up, and with the next week also expected to be quite warm – temperatures in the 60s, 70s, with even a possibility of reaching 80 degrees – I would expect a lot of action by next weekend. It was reported to me that a few Hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) and Harbinger of Spring (Erigenia bulbosa) were blooming a week ago; those are abundant now, and I found a few other species blooming along the Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail as well.
Hepatica – Anemone acutiloba
Broadleaf Waterleaf – Native Plant of the Day 05/18/2017
Photo from 05/13/2008. Location: The Pocket, Walker County GA.
More photos / info at the Hydrophyllum canadense detail page
Broad-leaf Waterleaf ; Bluntleaf Waterleaf – Hydrophyllum canadense
Solomon’s Seal – Native Plant of the Day 05/15/2017
Photo from 05/13/2008. Location: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA.
More photos / info at the Polygonatum biflorum detail page.
Smooth Solomon’s Seal – Polygonatum biflorum