The Beech trail is one of the 5 miles of trails found at the nature center.
This Geology exhibit along the River Trail shows an interesting fault feature called the "Geologic Fold".
The Universal Trail near the visitor center at Ijams is wheelchair accessable.
I found this single Marsh marigold flower blooming at the edge of Lotus Pond in mid-February.
This Totem pole is located near the trailhead of the Discovery Trail. It has a turtle, fox, woman, and owl carved into it.
Maude Moore's Cave at Ijams Nature Center
Ijams is a strong promoter of Green power. These solar panels are used to produce elecricity for the park.
The North Cove trail at Ijams goes through a lovely woods.
Mosquito fern; Azolla caroliniana
This plant is not quite so creepy looking when you see it up close!
The trails are well marked. Many are sponsored by local hospitals. Some signs tell a few of the more common wildflowers that are seen along the way.
Maude Moore's Cave is located along the River Trail boardwalk. The cave has bat bars to keep people from entering the cave and disturbing the bats. Disturbing hibernating bats can cause them to use up precious stored fat and they can starve to death. One bat can eat up to 3000 mosquitoes in one night in the summer, they can live up to 30 years, so bats are great little furry friends!
Ijams (pronounced: eye-ams) Nature Center is a beautiful little jewel of a park found along the Tennessee River in South Knoxville. It is located on Island Home Avenue. To get there from downtown Knoxville go on Sevier Ave. to Island Home Ave. You'll find the park on the left, just past Tennessee School for the Deaf.
This pink Lenten Rose was just one of many that had covered the hillside along the Discovery Trail. This flower is a garden escape. There is a white version of this flower there too.
The River Trail has a wooden boardwalk built along a rock cliff. This is a good place to look for water birds such as Great Blue Herons. Unfortunately, the Island Home airport is located just across the river, so the sound of small private aircraft landing and taking off is a common sound as you hike this trail (but don't let that discourage you from enjoying the trail).
Environmental educators teach children about nature. This transect line is one of the teaching tools used by the instructors. Children use the transect to study everything beneath the line.
The current is very strong at this area of the Tennessee River. Ijams instructors often lead canoe tours along the river.
The rockwall along the boardwalk has interesting plants growing in the cracks. There are lots of mosses, ferns and saxifrage plants.
Lotus Pond is covered with an aquatic, floating fern called Mosquito Fern. The red color (from the fern leaves) looks a bit freaky, but it is not harmful. This pond is a favorite with children in the summer since it has lots of turtles and frogs!
The Boardwalk along the River trail must have been quite a challenge to build!
This Turkey Vulture is one of the birds being rehabilitated at the center. Vultures have no feathers on their head in order to help keep clean when eating carrion.