More Spring Botanicals

The trees are approaching full canopy and spring is rapidly becoming summer. But before the last of the dogwoods fade, here are some items of botanical interest - and mostly they add to the beauty of spring in the southern Appalachians.

Bellwort (Uvularia, species not determined).

Dwarf iris (Iris vernal). Unmistakably an iris, but only 4 inches (10 cm) tall.

The pink azalea, aka "pinxterflower", (Rhododendron perclymenoides) blooms for only a short time. It goes from tight buds (left) to spent flowers (right) in about 10 days.

Interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana). Here you can see new fiddleheads emerging at the base, while the larger fronds are also showing the development of the spore-bearing leaflets (dark green and light brown) about 2/3 of the way up the frond.

Several of our Virginia pines (Pinus virginiana) have this fungus encircling branches - the Pine-Oak Gall Rust (Cronartium quercuum).

Wildflowers along the Jackson River Scenic Trail

 Monday, 3 May 2021

The Monday Morning Hikers went to the northern end of the Jackson River Scenic Trail this week. We hoped we'd still be able to see late spring wildflowers, and the trail did not disappoint.

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Another patch of columbine.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is one of my favorites. It is well-camouflaged and easily overlooked.

Large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) was found in large patches along the trail. Most commonly the flower is white. There is some disagreement among experts whether the pink flowers are just a variation or are formerly white flowers that turned pink after pollination or as the flowers age.

Viburnum nudum is a small tree in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). It is also known as "possumhaw" or "witherod". These were once considered to be two separate species, but have now been collapsed into a single species.

A closer look at the Viburnum flower.

Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) has distinctive glossy heart-shaped leaves.

The flower of wild ginger requires a deep look underneath the leaves for a purple-to-brown cup tucked away on the forest floor.

Hay Rock (Appalachian Trail Hike)

 Monday, 26 April 2021

Today the Monday Morning Hikers (aka Marvelous Monday Morning Mountain Hikers) hiked a short (4-mile, 6.4-km) section of the Appalachian Trail near Roanoke. Overall, the AT is known for its wilderness feel and vistas, but near Roanoke, it can clash with the necessities of urbanization and modern amenities.

In the first mile, we crossed a railroad track (Norfolk & Western), buried pipeline, and high-voltage power line. This section was mostly bottomland along Tinker Creek (of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek - Annie Dillard - fame).

When the trail finally gets to the ridge top (it's only an 850 ft, 260 m, climb, but feels like more!), you are greeted by two high-voltage power lines crossing each other.

The power line clearings, though, do allow for nice views. That's Read Mountain in the background.

It's not all "scorched earth" (that's the next trailhead, now called Andy Layne Trail). We encountered a well-camouflaged green snake.

The trail along the top of the ridge is mostly rocky, with occasional good views.

Among the views is McAfee's Knob - arguably the most photographed view on the entire AT. The arrow points to the iconic overhang. Note that the hike up McAfee's Knob also involves crossing a power line.

A closer view of McAfee's Knob overhang.

Typical view from the trail. The Roanoke airport is in the background towards the left side. The lake is Carvin's Cove.

Enjoying the view.

The entire hike, which took about 6 hours to hike 8 miles at our leisurely pace, we heard helicopters continuously. It was only on the way back down the mountain that we got a glimpse of what was going on. The helicopters were delivering workers to the power line towers.

We watched as the men were lowered into the tower structure. Then the cable was released and the helicopter returned for another worker.

A closer view of the man working on the tower. I hadn't noticed the ladder until I looked at the photos. This work must take nerves of steel (or better yet, Kevlar, since that shouldn't conduct electricity).

Overall, we had a good hike, but the continual noise and intrusive power lines definitely detracted from the experience.

Natural Bridge of Virginia

25 March 2021

Natural Bridge is a nearby "attraction". Now a state park (2016), for many, many years it was privately owned and had a pricey admission fee. Consequently, I'd been twice with Brownies and Cub Scouts, which were offered greatly reduced admission, but Lon had never seen the bridge. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond currently has an exhibition on Natural Bridge ("Virginia Arcadia: The Natural Bridge in American Art"), and this renewed our interest in seeing the landmark in person, so we decided it was time to make a visit.

Back in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Natural Bridge was a natural attraction on a par with Niagara Falls. It was a must-see destination for the adventurous traveller willing to go to the relatively unsettled western part of Virginia. With the opening of the western national parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion, it became less popular and less well known.

The natural arch is 215 ft (65.5 m) high. It's far more impressive than I remember. Even after having been to Arches National Park (Utah) and Red River Gorge (Kentucky - three previous posts here), Natural Bridge holds up well. It is also the only "natural" bridge that I know of that is actually used as a bridge - US 11 (Lee Highway, Valley Highway) goes over the top of the bridge. In the future the highway will most likely be re-routed off the bridge to help preserve it.

It's difficult to take a photo from the other side of the bridge. Cedar Creek takes a turn that makes the bridge nearly invisible until you are right upon it.

Another part of the park has a 4-mile hiking trail that has a nice overlook with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east.

We hadn't expected that early spring wildflowers would be in full bloom, but the display along Cedar Creek was spectacular.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

There are two species of Hepatica, differing only in the shape of their leaves (round-lobed, Anemone/Hepatica americana, and sharp-lobed, Anemone/Hepatica acutiloba). Flower color ranges from white to pink to lavender. Also known as "liverwort", some thought the leaves' shape was reminiscent of liver.

Round-lobed hepatica and bloodroot.

Spring Ephemerals at Roaring Run

 Officially, today was a "wildflower walk", but the wildflowers were not overwhelming (as they were at Natural Bridge three weeks earlier). Nonetheless, we did see a few nice ones.

In alphabetical order, since that's what's the easiest to upload on Blogger's current (awful) interface:

Birdfoot Violet (Viola pedata). Large flowers (for a violet) and distinctive leaves.

The easily overlooked Bluets (Houstonia purpurea).

Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera). It looks like the flowers have 10 petals, but a closer examination show that there are 5 petals, each one deeply split.

Rue-anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides).

Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica).

It seemed a bit early, but this colony of trillium (Trillium grandiflora) was in full bloom.

A closer look at a trillium bloom.

Roaring Run

The Monday Morning Hikers went to Roaring Run in Botetourt County (Virginia) today, and after about 4 inches of rain in the last 5 days, Roaring Run lived up to its name.

While not the highest I've ever seen it, Roaring Run was well beyond its usual flow.

Until today I've only hiked Roaring Run after leaves have emerged and matured. Today you could see the Falls (white speck about 1/4 down from the top) from a good distance.

Usually this section just has has a nice sheen of water over smooth rocks - makes for a good natural "slip-and-slide". Today you'd be risking your life to venture into the creek.

Roaring Run Falls are usually tame enough for this to be a good (but very cold) swimming hole. (See following photo.)

A more typical view of Roaring Run Falls, June 2019.

Observations in the "Holler"

 It's spring! Lotsa wildlife have returned to Morris Hollow.

The herons have returned to their rookery near Low Moor, and now they are showing up at nearby farm ponds looking for some aquatic "goodies".

Even at a distance, sometimes it's obvious that the bird flying overhead is a red-tailed hawk.

The fog was thick when our game camera captured three deer moving about.

Bobcats seem to sense the IR illumination and look straight at the game cameras. These secretive animals have been regular nocturnal visitors.

This odd-looking fungus in an eastern redcedar is the the Juniper-Apple Rust (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae). This one was about 3 inches (7 cm) in diameter, and there were at least a half-dozen more in this tree. Every redcedar I examined had at least one of these fungi in it.

This odd-looking fungus in an eastern redcedar is the the Juniper-Apple Rust (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae). This one was about 3 inches (7 cm) in diameter, and there were at least a half-dozen more in this tree. Every redcedar I examined had at least one of these fungi in it.