Summer Flowers - Woodland - Pink, Red, Maroon, Brown
Carolina Thistle; Cirsium carolinianum
Aster Family It is unusual to find a woodland thistle. This plant was growing at Laurel-Snow Pocket Wilderness in Dayton. Biennial Where seen: Laurel-Snow Pocket Wilderness, Great Smoky Mountains NP
Goat's Rue; Tephrosia virginiana
Pea Family Height: Up to 1' May 26, 2005 Goat's Rue is a beautiful member of the Pea or Bean family. It can be found in clearings along trailsides. Native Americans once used the juice of this plant to stun fish because it contains rotenone, a fish poison. Perennial Where seen: Big South Fork NRRA, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Oak Ridge (Clark Center Park)
Lance-leaved Wild Licorice; Galium lanceolatum
Madder Family These small maroon-colored flowers are easy to miss in the woods. They are also hard to photograph! I found these blooming at Laurel-Snow Pocket Wilderness. Close-up photo follows. Annual Where seen: Great Smoky Mountains NP, Laurel - Snow Pocket Wilderness, Oak Ridge Greenways
Liparis lilifolia / Orchid Family June 9, 2007 This is a very unusual orchid. I was surprised to find it blooming along a trail in the Smokies (I'm not going to say where after what happened to the Puttyroot Orchid this spring!). The following photo is a close-up of the flowers.
Common Anglepod; Matelea gonocarpos
Milkweed Family June 18, 2007 I found this plant growing in an area where I have worked for 20 years. It was a nice surprise to see these unusual flowers. I saw another vine nearby with older flowers, the petals were much longer, pointed forward and had turned a yellow-gold color.
Trumpet Honeysuckle; Lonicera sempervirens
Honeysuckle Family Unlike the invasive Japanese Honeysuckle, this lovely red, evergreen honeysuckle is a native. Hummingbirds love these flowers. I noticed honeybees trying to steal nectar from the outside of the flowers at the base. Perennial Where seen: Great Smoky Mountains NP
Curtiss' Milkwort; Polygala curtissii
Milkwort Family Milkworts have very pretty little individual flowers in the flowerhead (raceme). They remind me a bit of butterflies. I found these blooming at the East Overlook at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Scott County in mid-August. It is in the Milkwort Family. Annual Where seen: Big South Fork NRRA, Great Smoky Mountains NP
Round-leaf Catchfly; Silene rotundifolia
Pink Family This catchfly is one of the other bright red, summer-blooming woodland wildflowers. It looks similiar to its close relative, the Fire Pink. The leaves are round and the flowers are more star-shaped. Both flowers grow on cliffsides. This picture was taken on the Twin Arches Trail at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Perennial Where seen: Big South Fork NRRA, Piney Falls SNA, Great Smoky Mountains NP
side-view Liparis lilifolia / Orchid Family June 9, 2007
Naked-flowered Tick Trefoil; Desmodium nudiflorum
Pea Family You don't have to find the seeds of this plant, they will find you! The small, green, triangle-shaped seeds have small hooks that stick to your clothes, a very effective (and irritating) method of propagation! "Nudiflorum" means naked-flower. It is in the Pea Family. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Frozen Head SP, House Mountain SNA, Warriors' Path SP
Indian Pink; Spigelia marilandica
Logania Family The name of this plant is confusing, Indian Pink is neither pink in color, nor is it in the Pink family. It is one of the few bright red flowers found growing in the woods. This plant was once used by Native Americans to kill intestinal worms. It contains the poison strychnine. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Big South Fork NRRA, Haw Ridge
Naked-flowered Tick Trefoil - whole plant; Desmodium nudiflorum
Pea Family This is the whole plant.
Mint Family This member of the Mint family reminds me a lot of a cultivated Coleus. It can become weedy. I found this blooming at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in August. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Norris Dam SP
Cranefly Orchid; Tipularia discolor
Orchid Family The green and purple leaves of this summer-blooming orchid are gone by the time the flower stalk appears. The plant blooms in the woodlands, with the brown flowers, it is tricky to find (and photograph!). I was amazed to find this plant growing in a huge group of 22 plants in Oak Ridge! Usually the plants grow alone. The plants were blooming in late July. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Big South Fork NRAA, Frozen Head SP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warrior's Path SP
close-up The standard is yellow on these flowers, the keel and wings are bright pink. The anther and stamens are located in the "pink parts".
Lopseed; Jumpseed (close-up); Phryma leptostachya
Lopseed Family Lopseed blooms 2 flowers at a time (note the two blooms near the top of the stem). The flowers "lop" down after they bloom, giving the plant its common name. Perennial Where seen:Great Smoky Mountains NP, Piney River Pocket Wilderness, Oak Ridge Greenways, Frozen Head SP, Warriors' Path SP
close-up
Nuttall's Hedge Nettle; Stachys nuttallii
Mint Family This is another Mint family member. Perennial Where seen: Laurel - Snow Pocket Wilderness, Great Smoky Mountains NP