Rattlesnake weed

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Wild Oats; Sessile-leaf Bellwort; Uvularia sessilifolia

Obed Wild and Scenic River April 14, 2007 I was happy to finally get a photo of Wild Oats, now I have all 3 of the Uvularias! The flowers are very similar, but the leaves of this plant are different, they are sessile instead of perfoliate.

Indian Cucumber Root; Medeola virginiana

Lily Family April 24, 2005 This is one of the most unusual plants in the woods. The leaves are positioned in 2 whorls, a larger, lower one has 6 leaves and a smaller one at the top has 3 leaves. The flowers often hang below the top whorl. The flower has 3 very long reddish-brown pistils and 6 stamens. The plant gets its name from the edible, cucumber-flavored root that was eaten by Native Americans. In the fall the plant will have dark blue berries and the top whorl of leaves turns a brilliant red. I found these blooming at Piney River State Natural Area in Rhea County. Perennial Where seen:Big South Fork NRRA, Piney River Trail, Frozen Head SP, Ijams Nature Center

A "Quadrillium?!"

This picture was taken at Frozen Head State Park the first week of April 2003, notice the snow and the 4-leaved trillium! Should it be called a "Quadrillium?" The flower has the normal 3 parts.

Spring Avens; Geum vernum

Rose Family Most of the Avens have much larger flowers than this one. These flowers are about 1/3 inch and have tiny petals. I found this one on the Wildflower Greenway trail in late April. Perennial Where seen:Oak Ridge Wildflower Greenway, Great Smoky Mountains NP

Cross Vine; Bignonia capreolata

Trumpet Creeper Family April 24, 2005 These pretty yellow and red tube-shaped flowers are related to the orange Trumpet Creeper vine. Red and orange tube-shaped flowers are often pollinated by hummingbirds. This picture was taken at the Townsend entrance of the Smoky Mountains. Perennial - Vine Where seen:Haw Ridge Greenway, Oak Ridge Greenways, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Cumberland Trail

Green-and-Gold; Chrysogonum virginianum

Aster Family I found this flower blooming at the UT Arboretum. Notice the small disk flowers which seem to be "flowers within a flower"! Each small flower is a single flower and can make a single seed. The male and female parts of the flowers mature at different times in order to keep from pollinating themselves. Perennial Where seen:University of Tennessee Arboretum

Perfoliate Bellwort; Uvularia perfoliata

Lily Family April 3, 2005 The stem appears to perforate the leaf of this April-blooming wildflower. There are many of these plants at Frozen Head State Park and Haw Ridge Greenway. Perennial Where seen:Frozen Head SP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP, Haw Ridge, Ijams Nature Center

Bluebead Lily; Yellow Clintonia; Clintonia borealis

Lily Family Height: 6" - 15" May 29, 2006 This plant had eluded me for years, it took an 8-mile hike to Charlie's Bunion on the Appalchian Trail in the Smokies for me to finally see it in bloom. But see it I did! There were huge patches of it along the trail. Later in the year there will be blue berries where the flowers are, thus the common name "Bluebead Lily." Perennial Where found: Great Smoky Mountains NP

Yellow Trout Lily; Erythronium americanum

Lily Family March 28, 2005 The anthers of the Yellow Trout Lily are maroon. Sometimes whole hillsides are covered with these beautiful flowers. Perennial Where seen:Frozen Head SP, Oak Ridge Greenways, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP, Ijams Nature Center

Yellow Buckeye; Aesculus octandra

April 10, 2005 Buckeyes are one of the few trees that have palmately compound leaves. These were growing on a Greenway trail in Oak Ridge. Perennial - Tree Where seen:Oak Ridge Greenways, Piney River SNA, Warriors' Path SP

Dutchman's Pipe; Aristolochia macrophylla

Birthwort Family These flowers are difficult to find and photograph because they usually bloom high in the trees, they are under large leaves, and they are a greenish-yellow color. I got lucky to find this one growing on a rock along the Piney River Trail. Note the ant on the flower. These flowers give off an odor that attracts little flies which are temporarily trapped inside the flower. After pollen is released on the insects the flower opens again and the flies go on to another flower to pollinate it. Watch for the spiky black and red Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars on the leaves, their food source. The family name Birthwort alludes to the fact that the flower looks like a fetus (if you really use your imagination!). People once believed that plants that look like a body part could be used to treat diseases or problems with that body part, this practice was called the "Doctorine of Signatures". This plant was used to aid in childbirth (don't try this at home!). Perennial - Vine Where seen:Great Smoky Mountains NP, Norris Dam SP, Frozen Head SP, Piney River Trail, Warriors' Path SP

Rattlesnake Weed; Hieracium venosum

Aster Family This is another one of those "DYCs" --- a darned yellow composite! Two easy identifying characteristics are the sparce, stiff hairs and the dark purple veins on the large basal leaves. Perennial Where seen:Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP

Yellow Mandarin; Disporum lanuginosum

Lily Family The flowers of the Yellow Mandarin hang down beneath the leaves, so they are easy to overlook. Look for these at Frozen Head in mid-April. Perennial Where seen:Frozen Head SP, Piney River Trail, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Haw Ridge

This large group of Yellow Bead Lily plants was blooming along the Appalachian Trail near Charlie's Bunion.

Beaked Trout Lily; Erythronium rostratum

Lily Family These lovely lilies have a nice aroma. The Bluff Trail below Norris Dam at Norris Dam State Park in Norris has a fantastic display of Trout Lily flowers in late March or early April. Beaked Trout Lily flowers have yellow anthers, as opposed to the maroon anthers of the Yellow Trout Lily. These plants are usually found in large masses. Perennial Where seen:Norris Dam SP

Yellow Horse Gentian

Blue Cohosh; Caulophyllum thalictroides

Buttercup Family The unusual blue fruits of this wildflower look like small blue lightbulbs in the fall. It is in the Buttercup family. It is very common on the Panther Branch trail in Frozen Head State Park. It blooms in April. Perennial Where seen:Frozen Head SP, Haw Ridge Greenway, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP, Ijams Nature Center, Piney River SNA

Golden Ragwort; Senecio aureus

Aster Family May 7, 2005 Golden Ragwort blooms in the woods in April and May. I photographed this plant in the Smokies along the Little River Trail. Note the two different types of leaves. Senecio spp. are poisonous to humans, goats, horses, sheep, and cattle. The poisons found in the leaves are jacobine and seneciphylline. Perennial Where seen:Great Smoky Mountains, Warrior's Path SP, Haw Ridge

Indian Cucumber Root close-up

Lemon Trillium; Yellow Trillium; Trillium luteum

Lily Family April 3, 2005 Unlike its foul-smelling, maroon-colored relatives, this lovely yellow trillium smells like lemon. The flowers are non-stemmed, or "sessile." These are very numerous at Norris Dam State Park along the Bluff Trail in April. Perennial Where seen:Oak Ridge Greenways, Frozen Head SP, Norris Dam SP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Haw Ridge, Ijams Nature Center

Yellow Stargrass; Hypoxis hirsuta

Amaryllis Family This plant is a member of the Amaryllis family, it is not a "grass." These were blooming at the Haw Ridge Greenway in Oak Ridge in early May. I always enjoy finding these pretty little yellow flowers along the trails. Perennial Where seen:Haw Ridge Greenway Trail, Frozen Head SP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP

Yellow Horse Gentian; Triosteum angustifolium

Honeysuckle Oak Ridge, TN Haw Ridge April 22, 2009 I was excited to find this new plant(to me) along the trail at Haw Ridge on Earth Day. As I was laying on the ground focusing on the flowers, oblivious to everything around me, a woman and her huge dog came up the trail. When the dog saw me, he barked and I just about jumped out of my skin! The following photo shows a close-up of the flower.

Early Yellow Buttercup; Ranunculus fascicularis

Buttercup Family May 1, 2005 This woodland Buttercup has 3-parted basal leaves and thin leaves on the stem. Perennial Where seen: Cumberland Mountain State Park