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 Mountain Laurel is one of the most underappreciated flowers of the Smokies. Everyone
raves about the rhododendron but I often wonder how many people have stopped to look closely at the lovely mountain laurel
blossoms? These flowers signify for me the true beginning of the summer season as they transition me from early spring
wildflowers to the orchids of late spring and early summer. Sometimes the "ivy" blossoms surround you along the trail
and in mid-summer they fall and carpet the trails with their showy flower cups
My reference text says honey made from the nectar of these flowers is poisonous; actually, all parts of
the plant are poisonous to eat. This flower occurs on an evergreen shrub and its scientific name is Kalmia latifolia.
It is a member of the Heath family and we see it at almost all elevations in the Smokies. Click here to see all 11 photos I've uploaded to my Wildflower of the Week gallery.
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Shooting Star, Dodecatheon meadia. These
little beauties are often found atop an 18" stem looking more like a minature cluster of badminton shuttlecocks than wildflowers.
We know of only one place in the Smokies where they occur in large numbers but they are perhaps more common in central Tennessee. 
Primrose family flowers, their genus name, Dodecatheon,
means "twelve gods" stemming (pun, pun) from Greek mythology where similar flowers were under the care of the 12 gods
of Mount Olympus. Other common names include Rooster Heads, American Cowslip, Pride of Ohio and Indian Chief, to name
a few. There are 14 species of Dodecatheon but only one occurs in Tennessee.
Buzz Pollination
All Dodecatheon flower species are pollinated by bumblebees
which are said to grasp the petals of the flower and gather pollen by buzzing their wings. The buzzing vibrates
the anthers of the flower which then releases its pollen.
These flowers are at peak bloom now (late April 2007) in the White Oak Sink area of the Smokies, an area accessible via unmaintained trails that join the popular Schoolhouse Gap trail.
Click here to view the eight photos I've uploaded for this flower. Don't miss my webpage on the White Oak Sink area.
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Painted Trillium, Trillium undulatum, is one of the most distinctive
of trilliums. It rarely occurs in large clumps and is one of the last trilliums to flower. Known also as Striped
Wake-robin and Painted Lady, the Painted Trillium likes cool environments and rich acid soils. Almost never, except
in cool, high elevations, will you find these in locations that have full sun. 
How rare are these flowers? Notwithstanding the fact that I find
these to be perhaps the most beautiful of all the trilliums, only 41 of my 30,000+ photos are of Painted Trillium. I've
seen these on only 12 of the 171 trails I have hiked in the Smokies and nearby areas. You think Yellow Lady's Slippers are
rare? The Painted Trilliums are--SURPRISE--even more scarce. I may be slightly exaggerating
on that point but they are, truly, not our most common trillium.
These plants may erupt later than most trilliums but once they start
it is sometimes only a day or so from eruption to full bloom. These trilliums often bloom before the plant reaches full
development and, disappointingly, the petals react quickly to hormonal changes after pollination: They'll quickly turn
translucent then dry and fall off once they've been pollinated. This means that only Painted Trilliums which have yet
to be pollinated will reach full size. My favorite trillium reference book, Trilliums by Frederick Case, says
of these trilliums "here today, gone tomorrow."
The scientific name Trillium undulatum means trilliums with
wavy petal edges (undulating). These plants generally do not hybridize and are said to be the most difficult of the
eastern U.S. trilliums to cultivate outside its native habitat. That puts these in the same category as our Yellow Lady's
Slippers--when you see them in nurseries they have probably been removed from the forest instead of cultivated from nursery
stock. Please, don't support nurseries that sell these types of plants.
Click here to see the six Painted Trillium photos I've uploaded to my wildflower of the week gallery.
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Sweet Betsy Trillium, Trillium cuneatum. These are among the most
prolific of the sessile trilliums in the eastern US. Although somewhat rare in the north part of the Smokies, they common
in central Tennessee, Kentucky and the southern portion of the Smokies. Their strong aroma reminds me of banana popsicles!
I remember the latin name Trillium cuneatum as a kind of joke: These smell so good you "cun eat 'um."
Enjoy. Click here or on image to see all six images for this wildflower.
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Yellow Trillium, Trillium luteum. Perhaps one of the earliest and most recognized
of the trilliums in the Smokies--especially around Gatlinburg is the yellow trillium. These are often seen in roadside
ditches and are common throughout eastern Tennessee and extreme western North Carolina. They also extend up into SE
Kentucky.
We find that they sometimes have a faint lemon aroma. Click here to enjoy the 11 photos I've posted for this flower.
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 Hepatica
come in two different species in Tennessee: Sharp-Lobed and Round-Lobed (Hepatica acutiloba
and Hepatica americana). These plants are common in springtime and in the Smokies along Newfound
Gap road near the turn-off for the Chimney's picnic area you can see thousands of them in April. The name Hepatica
means "of the liver". It is also known as Liverwort and Liverleaf. I've read that the ancient Greeks used it to
treat, among other things, cowardice and freckles.
You'll find hepatica comes in three colors: White, pink and lavender (almost blue). Most of
the time you can see old leaves (distinguished by their brown color) mixed-in with the lush-looking new shiny green leaves
with their mottled appearance. The flower stems are usually very fuzzy.
The seeds are said to be carried away by ants. The ants apparently don't eat the entire seed because
these plants are very common.
I hope you'll enjoy the photo gallery where I've posted 10 photos of hepatica.
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 Phlox
- Phlox are among the most prolific and perhap unappreciated of
spring wildflowers in our area. While browsing my photo library to select photos for this feature, I was reminded that
there are 11 species of phlox in Tennessee. Also, there are many flowers we don't think of as "Phlox" but which
are considered part of the Phlox Family, e.g. Sky Rocket and Jacobs Ladder.
Common names for flowers of the Phlox genus in Tennessee include Hairy, Glade, Wild Blue, Woodland,
Smooth, Wild Sweet William, Downy and Creeping Phlox.
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Strangely Beautiful...
I was reminded today while reading an old hiking journal that some of the most beautiful wildflowers
in nature don't look very much like wildflowers at all. I've uploaded 15 photos of those "strangely beautiful" wildflowers
for you to enjoy. Click here to view the photo gallery.
Here are some thumbnail images taken from the gallery:
 
 
 
Click here to view the photo gallery. Those new
to my website should note that within the photo gallery you'll be able to view the images in any size you choose--from thumbnail
size to full size.
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