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Early Summer Wildflowers on Eagle Mtn Mid June 2018 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
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Early Summer Wildflowers on Eagle Mtn Mid June 2018 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
| On a hot June day, Jess R. and I climbed up and over Eagle Mtn in search of early summer blooms. I usually restrict my Eagle Mtn. climbs to the cooler months, so I was rather surprised by the dense growth of flowering (and soon to bloom) plants on the mountain. Jess had a close encounter with a timber rattlesnake near the summit, but the undergrowth was too thick for any good photos of it. |
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| American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) |
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| Spiderwort (Tradescantia sp.) Not an uncommon plant, but I'd never seen so many - hundreds and hundreds of blooms! |
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| Poke Milkweed, aka Tall Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) There was lots of this blooming atop the mountain also... |
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| Leatherflower, aka Vasevine (Clematis viorna) Based on the leaves, there may have been two varieties growing here. |
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| More Poke Milkweed We also saw loads of Turk's Cap Lily (Lilium superbum) but they were still in bud. |
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| View south from rock outcrop just below Eagle Mtn's south summit. Hollifield Ridge at center foreground, with Buck Knob to the right; Brasstown Bald on horizon about 30% from right edge; upper Hiwassee River basin extending to center background. |
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| One of the Beardtongues, possibly Penstemon smallii |
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| Fire Pink (Silene virginica) |
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| Grass Pink orchid (Calopogon tuberosus) I was somewhat surprised to see these here. In a seepy area well below the "view" outcrop. |
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| Grass Pinks |
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| View from the Grass Pink outcrop, about 500 ft elevation down from the summit |
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| Tassel-Rue, aka Bugbane (Trautvetteria caroliniensis) Near the trail on crest of west side of mountain. |
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| American Marsh Pennywort (Hydrocotyle americana) Growing in the spray zone of a wet cliff face. An extremely rare find in Georgia; neither the USDA nor BONAP distribution maps show it here. |
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| Indian Pipes, aka Ghost Flowers (Monotropa uniflora) |