Mount Pleasant Hike - Wildflowers

Yesterday our hiking group hiked the Henry Lanum Loop Trail at Mount Pleasant in Amherst County. This is a not-too-difficult trail with stunning views and lots of interesting wildflowers. At 4,000 feet, this area was still in early-to-mid spring, about 4 weeks behind the valleys.

Rhododendron were in full bloom, although they were mostly at the top of the tall shrubs and difficult to see. This is most likely Rhododendron catawbiense, since that is large and blooms early.

We also saw an occasional pink azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides, formerly R. nudiflorum). It is also known as "pinxterflower".

White Clintonia (Clintonia umbelullata)

A closer look at the Clintonia flower.

Jack-in-the-Pulpits (Arisaema triphyllum) were difficult to see, but really quite common. The leaf and the flower are on separate stalks.

More Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Hickory leaves were emerging from their large buds. Looking around the forest, my best guess is that this is Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata).

Mountain Anemone (Anemone lancifolia)

Wood Betony (Pediularis canadensis), also known as Lousewort. Most often this striking flower is all-yellow, and according to Wildflowers of North Carolina, it is uncommon.

Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) sipping nectar from a blueberry flower (Vaccinium spp.) on the east summit of Mt Pleasant. Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars eat only pawpaw leaves. So if you see zebra swallowtails, look for pawpaws nearby!

Saving the best for last - Pink Lady's Slippers (Cypripedium acaule). We saw a lot of these orchids on our return up Pompey Mountain. (As one critic said, this is the most uphill "down the mountain" trail I've ever been on.) Stanley Bentley writes in Native Orchids of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, "Not only do certain native orchids have a fondness for one another, but other wildflowers are often closely associated with certain orchids. When you are in territory where you see Clinton's lilies [Clintonia], lily of the valley, or Indian cucumber-root, you are in pink lady's slipper territory." We checked all three of those companions here.

Pink Lady's Slipper

Head-on and side views of the Pink Lady's Slipper flower. Bumblebees pollinate these flowers by entering through the front slit, and then exiting through a small hole at the top of the flower.