A few days ago, I posted a list of some of the wildflower identification books I have for flowers in the Eastern United States. Today, I’ll let you know about my favorite wildflower books for the Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. In the past couple of years, I’ve made several trips to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other areas in North Carolina and Tennesse and have accumulated a nice collection of reference books.

Yellow Trillium and Purple Phacelia (c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Wildflowers of the Smokies by Peter White. Quite simply my favorite wildflower identification book for the Smokies. Organized by color, it has information about when and where each flower is likely to be found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s a small book, so when I’m in the Smokies, there is always a copy of the book in my camera bag.

Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers, Fifth Edition by Robert W. Hutson, William F. Hutson and Aaron Sharp. A great spiral bound book for the Smokies. The photograph index at the back is unique – thumbnail photos of all the flowers organized by color and season. So all the white flowers that bloom in the spring are grouped together, followed by the summer blooming, and then the fall blooming ones.

Crested Dwarf Iris and Star Chickweed (c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Southern Appalachian Wildflowers by Barbara Medina and Victor Medina. Covers the Southern Appalachian Mountains including Great Smoky Mountains National Park, The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Chattahoochee National Forest. One of the first wildflower identification books I bought – and still one I use regularly.

Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains by Leonard M. Adkins. A great feature of this book is the detailed descriptions it provides for where you may be able to find some of the wildflowers.

Wild Bleeding Hearts (c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Wildflowers of Tennessee by Jack B. Carman. Focusing on the wildflowers of Tennessee, this book actually covers flowers found in about 15 states, since most Tennesse wildflowers are found in other areas as well. It includes many wildflowers from the Smokies that aren’t included in my other books.

Turk’s Cap Lily (c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Wildflowers of North Carolina, Second Edition by William S. Justice, C. Ritchie Bell & Anne H. Lindsey. Has lots of detailed photographs of the wildflowers. Some entries include multiple photos, which is great for plants that have blossoms and berries, or look very different at various times of the year.

North Carolina’s Best Wildflower Hikes: The Mountains by Kevin Adams. Rather than a wildflower identification book, this one is a wildflower location book. The book includes 50 different wildflower hikes in the mountains North Carolina. Each hike includes information about the difficulty and length of the hike, the best time of year, and what wildflowers you are likely to find. A great book for anyone looking for wildflowers along the Blue Ridge Parkway and in the mountains of North Carolina.