| I spent an incredible 2 1/2 weeks in April photographing Southern Appalachian wildflowers. I spent some time in places I’ve visited before – and discovered some wonderful new places to photograph. I thought I’d share some of them with you in case you’d like to check some of them out for yourself. |  |
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I visited two Botanical Gardens this trip – the Asheville Botanical Gardens and Reflection Riding Arboretum.
The Asheville Botanical Gardens are one of my favorite places to visit in western North Carolina. Located on the grounds of the University of North Carolina – Asheville, the gardens focus on native plants of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Every time I visit, I discover species I’ve never seen or had the chance to photograph. The gardens are open from dawn until dusk and admission is free. Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Chattanooga, Tennessee is a spectacular 300 acre preserve dedicated to the native plants of the region. There is a long drive that winds through the property, as well as several hiking trails. If you visit in late April through mid-May, be sure to spend time at the native azalea garden. Their collection is incredible. Reflection Riding is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily, except Sunday when it opens at 1 pm. Admission is $6 per car. |
| On this trip, I made my first visit to the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area outside of LaFayette, Georgia. I first learned about this wonderful location from one of my twitter friends @USWILDFLOWERS who is photographing and documenting many of the native plants of the region. The Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail includes a boardwalk through a hardwood cove and a rougher trail to Pocket Falls. There are also other trails and old logging roads to explore. |  |
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The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in Graham County, North Carolina is wonderful spot located off the Cherhola Skyway. Named in honor of Joyce Kilmer, the author of “Trees”, the forest includes a 2 mile hiking trail that winds through the woods including a stand of yellow poplar trees over 100 feet tall. Since this location is higher up in the mountains than many others, I often find a different set of wildflowers in bloom here than I do at other locations in the area. |
| Fall Creek Falls State Park near Pikeville, Tennessee has been on my to visit list for a while. I finally got there on this trip – and it was well worth visiting. Known mainly for it’s spectacular waterfalls, this wonderful state park has some wonderful hiking trails with wildflowers winding through the park. If you enjoy photographing waterfalls – you really should visit Fall Creek Falls State Park. Not only are the waterfalls beautiful, many of them can be photographed from overlooks on trails that are pretty easy hiking. More adventurous hikers can take more difficult trails to the bottom of the various waterfalls. |  |
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My last stop on the trip was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – my favorite national park to visit. I hiked several old favorite trails including Cove Hardwood Trail, Chestnut Top Trail, Schoolhouse Gap Trail, Twin Creek Trail. I also checked out some trails that were new to me including Cucumber Gap Trail, Kanati Fork Trail, Laurel Falls Trail, Middle Prong Trail and a section of the Appalachian Trail. As I hiked the various trails I began to understand how different the various eco-systems in the park are. Each eco-system had a distinct set of wildflowers blooming (and available to photograph).
I’m already trying to figure out when I can get back to the Southern Appalachian Mountains – especially the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. |
| The flowers accompanying this article are
Yellow Lady’s Slipper – Great Smoky Mountains National Park Bleeding Hearts – Asheville Botanical Gardens Bent Trillium – Crockford-Pigeon Mountain WMA Crested Dwarf Iris – Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest Rockhorse Falls – Fall Creek Falls State Park Pink Lady’s Slippers – Great Smoky Mountains National Park Speckled Wood Lily – Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
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