Venture to Big Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
March 24, 2004
What a beautiful spring day! Actually it was a little chilly first thing when we all met that day, but it soon warmed up nicely. It is always a little surprising to see so many wildflowers are in bloom so early in the year. The hepatica was just carpeting the ground along the first trail we walked, along with a few Dutchman's Breeches and a scattering of Bloodroot blossoms. The birding was rather slow and our only spring migrants were a pair of Blue-headed Vireos singing in the still bare woodlands. Lunch was streamside before our afternoon walk. The aspect of the second trail was quite different and very dry compared with the cove forest habitat in the morning. Beth was terrific and pointed out a great selection of early spring wildflowers, as well as helping us identify trees by their buds and bark. There is always so much to learn!
| Blooming Plants: | |
| Sharp-lobed Hepatica | Round-leaved Violet |
| Carolina Spring Beauty | Halberd-leaved Violet |
| Star Chickweed | Common Blue Violet |
| Smooth Rockcress | Sweet White Violet |
| Rue-anemone | Long-spurred Violet |
| Carolina Vetch | Golden Ragwort |
| Dutchman’s Breeches | Purple Phacelia |
| Solitary Pussytoes | Wild Geranium |
| Plantain-leaved Sedge | Indian Strawberry |
| Purple Dead Nettle | Dwarf Cinquefoil |
| Toothwort | Trout Lily |
| Hairy Bittercress | Yellow Trillium |
| Cut-leaved Toothwort | Small-flowered Buttercup |
| Spicebush | Bloodroot |
| Other plants discussed: | |
| Bishop’s Cap | Partridgeberry |
| Foamflower | American Beech |
| Alumroot | Umbrella Magnolia |
| Hairy Alumroot | Striped Maple |
| Wake Robin | Sugar Maple |
| Blue Cohosh | Red Maple |
| Squawroot | White Basswood |
| Early Meadowrue | Yellow Buckeye |
| Downy Rattlesnake Plantain | White Ash |
| Puttyroot | Yellow Birch |
| Cranefly Orchid | Bitternut Hickory |
| Running Pine | Ironwood |
| Shining Clubmoss | Sourwood |
| Intermediate Wood Fern | Silverbell |
| Marginal Wood Fern | Tuliptree |
| Fragile Fern | Witch-hazel |
| Ebony Spleenwort | Buffalo Nut |
| Maidenhair Spleenwort | Strawberry-bush |
| Walking Fern | Dog-hobble |
| Christmas Fern | Sweetshrub |
| Birds | |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | White-breasted Nuthatch |
| Downy Woodpecker | Brown Creeper (Heard) |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Carolina Wren (Heard) |
| Pileated Woodpecker (Heard) | Winter Wren (Heard) |
| Eastern Phoebe | Blue-headed (Solitary) Vireo |
| Blue Jay | Black-throated Green Warbler (Heard) |
| American Crow | Northern Cardinal |
| Northern Raven | Dark-eyed Junco (Heard) |
| Carolina Chickadee | American Goldfinch (Heard) |
| Other Critters | |
| Gray Squirrel | Red Squirrel |
| Butterflies | |
| West Virginia White | Spring Azure |
| Tiger Swallowtail | Eastern Comma |
| Juvenal’s Duskywing | |
