SPRING BLOOM IN THE SMOKIES

[steven_griffin]

HAS ANYONE GOTTEN A GOOD LOOK AT THE SMOKIES N.P. TO GET A GOOD IDEA

OF THE SPRING BLOOM EARLY OR LATE. WITH ALL THE RAIN AND WARM

WETHER,EARLY COULD BE A POSSIBILITY , ANY IDEAS. THANKS

[pathways]

Not in the NP, but in the Franklin NC area, at 2500 ft, the ephemerals (trout lily, hepatica, etc.) are pretty well gone, bloodroot, trilliums are up, tulip trees have green leaves, maples red flowers, oaks starting to catkin, saw a dead snake in the road, azaleas are in flower, dogwood and serviceberry trees are white, birch trees are in leaf. Go up 1000 feet and you will find ephemerals, go up 2000 and you will find winter. We had a lot of through-hikers clustering into motels today to dry out (5" rain) and wait out the cold spell. John

[john_schutt]

We were in the Smokys last week (3/28, 3/30, 3/31.) The mid-elevation cove-hardwood forests (i.e., Chimney's picnic area) were abloom with hepatica (end of season - some have finished), fringed phacilia, spring beauties, trout lilies, white trillium, and wood anemone. Along the middle prong of the Pigeon River (Elkmont) we saw bishops cap and foamflower. Also in the lower elevations the tuliptrees and maples were budding out and redbud is blooming. It seems that this spring is a bit earlier this year.

 

John