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
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.
Orchid Family May 13, 2007 I was hoping to get an orchid for Mother's Day and I finally found this one! Unfortunately, the 2 plants that I had driven 75 miles to photograph (that had been in bud 2 weeks earlier) had been dug by plant poachers! I was furious! It is a shame that some people are so selfish. Removing plants from the Smokies is also against the law. Fortunately, I found this one growing in another location (in the middle of a bed of poison ivy!). This is a pretty poor representation of the flowers, but it was all I could find! I hope the plant is able to make seeds and start some new orchids. Unfortunately, it takes up to 7 years for an orchid to grow big enough to bloom, so I may have to wait for a while! :( Where seen: Great Smoky Mountains N P
