Dragons, Twentymile and Midsummer Flowers

Destination Yellow Fringed Orchid!

In late July of 2016 while driving US 129, otherwise known as the Dragon's Tail, we spotted a stand of lovely triplets! Perched amid the roadside shrubs and weeds three orchids posed for their portrait. I obliged!

So now in late July 2020 we decided a country drive along the Foothills Parkway and Dragon's Tail to the Twentymile Trail would not only take us past the roadside site but would provide an opportunity to check on other sites for the Yellow Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris).

We never quite know what to expect on a return to any site. We were disappointed to find that the steep banks along the highway had been skinned by the state's bush-hogging. I understand the need to cut back overgrown vegetation, but the bare slopes and banks were already starting to show severe erosion. 

I feared the orchid's habitat had been destroyed.

To my delight I spotted another yellow-orange blossom: Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii) named for André Michaux, the French botanist who traversed the Appalachians [no long a's in the word] identifying plants.  

This striking flower is the state flower for North Carolina. 

It's easy to mistake the smaller Carolina Lily for its larger near cousin the Turk's Cap Lily (Lilium superbum), which is distinguished by a green star in the center of the flower. Also, Carolina Lily usually bears only 1-4 blossoms per stem where Turk's Cap's blossoms are displayed in a noticeable candelabra formation.   

At last we spotted what we came to see: the Yellow Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris). Most of the plants we saw, although abundant in a couple of spots, were small with sparse inflorescence. 

Patience paid off! 

Around a curve we spotted a pair of perfect orchids. 

I'm thankful that I didn't have to climb a bank or wade through chigger-laden weeds to photograph these beauties!

I cannot explain my fascination with these wondrous flowers. Wild orchids are contrary and unpredictable for the most part, so to find these two large flourishing specimens was encouraging. 

After photographing the orchids, we headed for the Twentymile Trailhead hoping to find Three-birds Orchid (Triphora trianthophoros). We spotted a spent Starry Campion (Silene stellata). 

Basil Bee Balm (Monarda clinopodia) was still hanging on.

Look closely to see the tiny pollinators on this Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata).

Identifying lichens, spleenworts and mosses will be my next task!

A lone Puttyroot Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale) seed pod from a previous year indicates another orchid thrives in this area.

Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) this size with this many seed pods indicate it is quite content to grow in this rich hardwood forest. Perhaps this spring I can check it out and capture its gorgeous blossoms!

Twentymile Cascades were flowing full this time of the year. 

Lush vegetation flourished from all the rainfall this season. 

Let's get a closer view of the cascades!

Cateby's Trillim (Trillium catesbaei) with a seed pod awaits ripening. Ants will carry off the seeds to their nests, feast on the elaiosome surrounding each seed, remove the stripped seeds outside the nest where they may produce new plants in 5 or 6 years. 

Alas, no Three-birds Orchid!

Slowing as we approached a steep curve along the Dragon's Tail, we allowed a small black bear to cross in front of us. We could not determine whether it was a scrawny juvenile or a young bear separated from its mother. It scurried up the mountain slope. 

What a rewarding day! On a spur-of-the-moment decision to check on a familiar flower, we encountered scenic beauty along the Foothills Parkway, spotted a variety of wildlife such as deer, bear and turkey, found our orchids, enjoyed the full cascades and a pleasant hike along Twentymile Creek. 

The only drawbacks to our exploring were two ticks and lots of chiggers...all a fair trade-off for the rewards of spending time in God's amazing creation! 

Sequatchie Valley and Foster Falls

The Purple Fringeless Orchid and Fameflower

The quest for the very illusive Platanthera peramoena [Purple Fringeless Orchid] led us down the scenic Sequatchie Valley. I find excuses to travel through this peaceful valley. When we received information about possible sites for an orchid that is rarely found south of Virginia, we took the challenge to check out all possibilities. Using coordinates dating back to 1988, we feared the orchid's habitat had been altered or destroyed as had so many native orchid sites. The first site held the most promise. It was a large fenced area along a meandering creek with low marshy spots ideal for the orchid to thrive. We were pleased to note that the owner periodically mowed the field because the typical bushes, small trees and briers were not present. However, the Calamus, a thick-leaved marsh grass, was present as recorded 32 years ago. Alas, after exploring the edges of the field and even the ditches across the highway, we did not spot the bubblegum pink of the orchid we were seeking. 

Our exploring across the highway yielded an interesting plant, Button Bush. I think it looks like the model we frequently see of the Coronavirus, COVID-19. 

 Close inspection provides a study in the bloom's development. 

 American germander's tall purple spires gave us a brief moment of optimism. 

 Roadside botanizing produced no purple orchid. Later we reaped our exploring: chigger bites!

Giving up on finding the orchid, we headed for a lovely park to picnic. 

 Wild petunia can grow in some of the most hostile areas: in deep choking grass or in scuffed bare soil. Often the wild petunia displays dark purple bee guides leading to the pollen in the center of the flower. 

 Our next destination was Foster Falls, located atop the Cumberland Plateau. We arrived at the parking area around 2:00 in the afternoon, the heat of the day. 

 We were hoping to find Fameflower in the sandstone crevices exposed on the plateau. It wouldn't be difficult to miss because like P. peramoena, it is bubblegum pink. Except it has a tiny dime-sized bloom. We saw lots of yellow!

 We found some striking yellow composites, often referred to as DYC, or "darn yellow composites."

 These deep yellow blossoms clustered close to the forest edge. 

 We even found a tiny purple plant. Curtiss' Milkwort enjoys full sun.

 Although pink and fluffy, the sensitive vine flowers was not Fameflower. I think it resembles pompons.

 Pencil flower can thrive is the hottest, driest environments. I have seen it creating yellow carpets along the edge of paved roads. 

 Curtiss' Milkwort attracts interesting pollinators. 

 Not much larger than a quarter, the heads of this interesting flower bear closer inspection.

 A variety of composites grow in profusion under a TVA powerline. 

 Although the velvet ant resembles a colorful, fuzzy ant, it is actually a wingless wasp [Dasymutilla occidentalis]. The female has a very toxic sting but unless stepped on or squeezed, she prefers to escape. They are solitary creatures. This velvet ant scampered across the hot sandy soil bent on a mission. 

 They are such busy creatures, they are difficult to photograph. 

 Foster Fall was spilling lots of water this day. We have seen the falls reduced to a mere trickle during times of low rainfall. 

 Foster Falls is a favorite spot for those who are willing to scramble down to the plunge pool. From the opposite side of the falls, one can appreciate an unobstructed view of the falls and rock face. 

 After hiking for more than an hour, we were disappointed that we had not spotted the Fameflower. We decided to return. 

 The photo below shows upstream. 

 The photo below shows downstream toward the falls. 

 How on earth did we miss this bright pink flower along the side of the trail?!

 It was not in bloom when we passed the spot. 

 In fact, our research revealed that this tiny flower blooms from about 3 to 6 in the afternoon. I supposed it is named Fameflower for its fleeting nature, such is fame. 

 Its tiny leaves resemble those of succulents. Its design allows it to store moisture considering it grows in poor dry soil. Three hours is a short time for a flower to be pollinated. We noticed several tiny bees on the blooms, but if an insect fails to pollinate the flower, it will self-pollinate, thus guaranteeing this lovely, delicate flower will continue to reproduce. What a miraculous design by an amazing Creator!

 Meadow beauty flowers grew in abundance in the sandy dry soil under the powerline. 

 A few years ago, I photographed both kinds of Meadow beauty in Cades Cove where they enjoyed wet feet in a marshy area near a creek. Amazing how some flowers can thrive in all types of conditions and soils. 

Have we given up on our quest for the Purple Fringeless Orchid? Not at all! But our efforts were rewarded with the array of wildflowers and the tiny Fameflower. 

Sunsets and Orchids

From the Big South Fork to the Blue Ridge Parkway!

The Saharan Dust arrived in East Tennessee June 24-27. Yes, it swirled across the Atlantic Ocean, curled across the Caribbean and turned north into the southern U.S. According to meteorologists, we could expect brilliantly colored sunsets because of the dust in the atmosphere. 

So we thought what better spot to watch a sunset than perched at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau at Sunset Overlook. We left home around 5:30 and headed for Big South Fork to hike 1.3 miles through the woods to our destination: Sunset Overlook. With such a descriptive name, I expected large numbers of photographers with their expensive equipment set up to capture the sunset. Surprise! We had the parking lot, the trail and the view all to ourselves. I must admit that the sunset was quite disappointing. However, to my extreme delight the woods were filled with Mountain Camellias [Stuartia ovata]. It blooms faithfully every year around the summer solstice. 

 The dark woods enhanced the snowy blossoms. This small shrub-like tree grows at low-to-mid elevation in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. It has been seen at Tremont and Sugarlands in the Smokies as well as on the Cumberland Plateau. Notice that in one picture, the stamens are purple with golden yellow anthers, but in the other picture the stamens are white with golden yellow anthers.  The small trees were scattered throughout the woods. 

A little research revealed that Stuartia ovata is rather variable. According to the website Tree Trail [http://www.treetrail.net/stewartia_ovata.html, legendary horticulturist Polly Hill propagated seeds from a mountain camellia. She observed that some of the plants from the same tree exhibited variable traits: some with purple stamens, some with white stamens.  

 We reached the overlook as the sun was setting over the western ridges. Far below us was the Big South Fork meandering through the gorge. Look closely to see the O&W bridge. 

 The sky began to darken and glow with a rich red and golden hue. We hiked back to the parking lot wearing our headlamps to see the trail. Lightening bugs put on a display all through the woods. What a wonderfully peaceful evening. Although we didn't see a spectacular sunset, we experienced the peace of the woods and a comfortable companionship. 

 During the end of June, the Purple Fringed Orchid puts on its show along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We love to escape the valley heat to the higher cooler elevations of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

 Our goal: find Large Purple Fringed Orchids [Platanthera grandifolia] and Small Purple Fringed Orchids [Platanthera psychodes]. We were thrilled to find both species very close to each other.

The difference between the two species has nothing to do with their size. Rather, upon close inspection, you will notice the nectary openings differ. P. grandiflora has an oval-shaped opening; whereas P. psychodes has a side-ways figure eight opening. 

 How exciting to find a white or pale version!  

 Both the small and the large orchids thrive in the sun or shade at this high elevation.

 The beauty of these orchids captivate me!

  The vegetation at such a high elevation amazes me with its variety and lushness. 

 Notice how closely gathered the flowers are on the inflorescence of this lovely orchid. 

 The P. grandiflora in the shade were a far deeper purple than those in sunlight. 

 Farther down the parkway we found an abundance of Small Purple Fringed Orchids along the roadside.  

 If you look very closely, you might spot Ms Spider hiding among the flowers. 

  Amazingly, this Small Purple Fringed Orchid is taller and fuller than any Large Purple Fringed Orchid we saw today. 

 I imagine the huge inflorescence must have put on quite a display of color and beauty as it matured and the flowers bloomed!

The search continues for the elusive Platanthera peramoena, the Purple Fringeless Orchid. Somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway this striking orchid in bubblegum pink waits to be discovered....