A beautiful spring day
Driving down the Blue Ridge Escarpment this morning was experiencing a forward look towards spring. Redbuds were in flower, trees were starting to leaf out, and the cherries and Bradford pears were starting to fade.
I wish I'd had time to stop by Pearson's Falls, a premier spring wildflower site; its rich cove forest site combined with the iso-thermal character of that particular area means that the spring wildflowers there are both exceptional and early.
I picked up 3 posts in a search on Natural Gardening for Pearson's Falls. I reflect on how magical it is on visits both in early April and late in April.
The falls are lovely, but the woodland wildflowers are amazing.
The cover photo for my gardening companion's book, Waterfalls & Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes, was Pearson's Falls.
For those of you who are wildflower lovers, here's Tim's list. It's a very special place.
Pearson's Falls: What to Look For
SPRING
Acute-lobed hepatica, Anemone acutiloba
Wood anemone, Anemone quinquefolia
Putty root, Adam and Eve, Aplectrum hyamale
Jack-in-the-pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum
Wild ginger, Asarum canadense
Sweet shrub, Calycanthus floridus
Cutleaf toothwort, Cardamine concatenata
Blue cohosh, Caulophyllum thalictroides
Fairywand, Devil's bit, Chamaelirium luteum
Virginia spring beauty, Claytonia virginica
Dutchman's britches, Dicentra cucullaria
Umbrella leaf, Diphylleia cymosa
Yellow trout lily, Erythronium americanum
Spicebush, Lindera benzoin
Plumed Solomon's seal, Maianthemum racemosum
Brook lettuce, Micranthes micranthidifolia
Early saxifrage, Micranthes virginiensis
Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum
Solomon's seal, Polygonatum biflorum
Yellow mandarin, Prosartes lanuginosa
Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
Oconee bells, Shortia galacifolia
Giant chickweed, Stellaria pubera
Foamflower, Tiarella cordifolia
Sweet Betsy, Trillium cuneatum
Large-flowered trillium, Trillium grandiflorum
Sweet white trillium, Trillium simile
Halberdleaf yellow violet, Viola hastata
Roundleaf yellow violet, Viola rotundifolia
Common blue violet, Viola sororia
SPRING-SUMMER
False goatsbeard, Astilbe biternata
Pipsissewa, Striped wintergreen, Chimaphila maculata
Speckled wood lily, Clintonia umbellulata
Silverleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea radiata
Broadleaf waterleaf, Hydrophyllum canadense
Canada mayflower, Maianthemum canadense
Mountain meadowrue, Thalictrum clavatum
Canada violet, Viola canadensis
SUMMER
Black cohosh, Actaea racemosa
Rattlesnake orchid, Goodyera pubescens
Wood nettle, Laportea canadensis
Rosebay rhododendron, Rhododendron maximum
Cranefly orchid, Tipularia discolor
SUMMER-FALL
Hog peanut, Amphicarpaea bracteata
Pink turtlehead, Chelone lyonii
Rock alumroot, Heuchera villosa
Orange jewelweed, Impatiens capensis
Cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis
Indian pipe, Ghost flower, Monotropa uniflora
FALL
White snakeroot, Ageratina altissima
Beechdrops, Epifagus virginiana
I wish I'd had time to stop by Pearson's Falls, a premier spring wildflower site; its rich cove forest site combined with the iso-thermal character of that particular area means that the spring wildflowers there are both exceptional and early.
I picked up 3 posts in a search on Natural Gardening for Pearson's Falls. I reflect on how magical it is on visits both in early April and late in April.
The falls are lovely, but the woodland wildflowers are amazing.
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| Pearson's Falls |
For those of you who are wildflower lovers, here's Tim's list. It's a very special place.
Pearson's Falls: What to Look For
SPRING
Acute-lobed hepatica, Anemone acutiloba
Wood anemone, Anemone quinquefolia
Putty root, Adam and Eve, Aplectrum hyamale
Jack-in-the-pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum
Wild ginger, Asarum canadense
Sweet shrub, Calycanthus floridus
Cutleaf toothwort, Cardamine concatenata
Blue cohosh, Caulophyllum thalictroides
Fairywand, Devil's bit, Chamaelirium luteum
Virginia spring beauty, Claytonia virginica
Dutchman's britches, Dicentra cucullaria
Umbrella leaf, Diphylleia cymosa
Yellow trout lily, Erythronium americanum
Spicebush, Lindera benzoin
Plumed Solomon's seal, Maianthemum racemosum
Brook lettuce, Micranthes micranthidifolia
Early saxifrage, Micranthes virginiensis
Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum
Solomon's seal, Polygonatum biflorum
Yellow mandarin, Prosartes lanuginosa
Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
Oconee bells, Shortia galacifolia
Giant chickweed, Stellaria pubera
Foamflower, Tiarella cordifolia
Sweet Betsy, Trillium cuneatum
Large-flowered trillium, Trillium grandiflorum
Sweet white trillium, Trillium simile
Halberdleaf yellow violet, Viola hastata
Roundleaf yellow violet, Viola rotundifolia
Common blue violet, Viola sororia
SPRING-SUMMER
False goatsbeard, Astilbe biternata
Pipsissewa, Striped wintergreen, Chimaphila maculata
Speckled wood lily, Clintonia umbellulata
Silverleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea radiata
Broadleaf waterleaf, Hydrophyllum canadense
Canada mayflower, Maianthemum canadense
Mountain meadowrue, Thalictrum clavatum
Canada violet, Viola canadensis
SUMMER
Black cohosh, Actaea racemosa
Rattlesnake orchid, Goodyera pubescens
Wood nettle, Laportea canadensis
Rosebay rhododendron, Rhododendron maximum
Cranefly orchid, Tipularia discolor
SUMMER-FALL
Hog peanut, Amphicarpaea bracteata
Pink turtlehead, Chelone lyonii
Rock alumroot, Heuchera villosa
Orange jewelweed, Impatiens capensis
Cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis
Indian pipe, Ghost flower, Monotropa uniflora
FALL
White snakeroot, Ageratina altissima
Beechdrops, Epifagus virginiana
Wonderful wildflower list!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post. It was a beautiful spring day. We are going to try to make it to Pearson Falls next week if the weather cooperates. I am hoping to find Tim’s book in the library before we go. Thank you for the lovely wildflower list.
ReplyDelete