Wildflowers~Porters Creek Trail

We arrived in

The Great Smoky National Park on Monday.

We stopped here to catch the view and so that Jeff could disconnect the car and drive back into Gatlinburg to pick up our mail that was sent general delivery.

This pull off is a few miles from Gatlinburg and three miles from our campground. This is the closest spot from our campground to pick up a cell signal.

We will be taking the drive several times to make calls and hook up to the internet.

Yesterday we took Porters Creek Trail to Campsite 31~a 7.5 mile round trip hike.

We were told it would be a good trail to see wildflowers.

The trail starts off wide and graveled.

Eastern Comma

We start seeing a few wildflowers

Bloodroot

The trail meanders..following Porters Creek and crosses the creek several times.

Waldo came out to play…he liked sticking his feet in the icy water.

I will label the flowers I have identified.

If any of the labels are wrong or you know what the question marked flowers are, just leave me a comment. Thanks!

Thanks so much for the ID Help everyone!

Robin's Plantain - Erigeron pulchellus ?

Fleabane Thanks Sara

Plenty of ferns of different varieties unfolding..

Sweet White Violet ?

Large-flower Trillium

1~?

Rue Anemone Thalictrum thalictroides

Thanks Sara and Sicksta Lori

2~?

Star Chickweed

Thanks Sara and Sicksta Lori

There were the remains of several homes on the trail..

This flower was around the foundation  of one of the old homesteads.

3~?

Wood Betony~Lousewart

Thanks Sara and Sicksta Lori

This stairway leads to graveyard.

The graves that were labeled were from the late 1800s early 1900s.

Porters Creek is full of human history too.  Settled in the 1800s, it was once a small, but thriving community of family farms, a school, a hotel, stores, churches, and grist mills.  Old stone walls, house foundations, and nonnative daylilies are remnants of this life.  A reconstructed cantilevered barn, spring house, and cabin are near the start of the Brushy Mountain Trail.  Two old mill stones were used in the cabin’s “patio.”  The most touching part of this history may be seen in the Ownby cemetery (on the right just past a small foot bridge).  Some adults are buried there, but most appear to be children – some were born and died on the same day, others just a few weeks old, some at age 1 or 2.  This little mossy cemetery is a testament to the hard life lived in these mountains at the turn of the last century.  It is still cared for and kept meticulously clean.  Nearly every grave is graced with a bouquet of colorful plastic flowers even though most of the souls resting peacefully in this lovely spot have lain here 100 years or more. via Smokies Blog

 

Large-white Trillium

The trail leaves the homestead area and narrows..

Yellow Trout Lily Erythronium americanum

The (American) Five-lined Skink

I believe this is a young one as it has the blue tail ~Blue-tailed Skink

the adult is called a Red-headed Skink

There are two of these narrow bridges crossing the creek

This one leans at an angle over the creek..

Jeff thought the water looked very fishable..

Looking for fish..

Carolina Spring Beauty Claytonia caroliniana

A close up of

Yellow Trout Lily Erythronium americanum

The Path meanders through a forest full of…

White Fringed Phacelia- Phacelia fimbriata

Fringed Phacelia

Wild Geranium

A few miles in are some waterfalls.

We cross the lower section of the falls and continue our hike

A yellow Violet of some sort..The closest I could come up with was Redwood Violet which doesn’t grow in this area.

4~?

Smooth Yellow Violet

Thanks Sara

Fraser’s Sedge

We only saw one section on the trail with this flower..

5~?

Yellowroot

thanks Sara

Flowering trio…

6~?

Rue Anemone Thalictrum thalictroides

We made it!

Campsite 31..I still have the leftover of a cold and found it difficult getting air the first part of the hike..

The second half was much easier..

besides it was mostly all downhill.

A hillside of Trout Lily

I see a heart

7~?  Phlox?

Blue Phlox- Phlox divaricate

Dutchman's Britches - Dicentra cucullaria

Two different White Trillium

The top flower according to this online website.

White Erect Trillium Trillium erectum albiflorum

The one below looks to be

Large-flower Trillium

White Erect Trillium Trillium erectum albiflorum

I loved this delicate plant that was unfolding..

If you look closely you will see tiny little hairs..

Here we go again..

Another walk thru the forest of

White Fringed Phacelia- Phacelia fimbriata

 

This trillium was not opened when we started our hike..

On the way down I noticed several starting to open.. I never expected to see a yellow flower. I thought for sure it would be purple.

Yellow Trillium- Trillium luteum

This was a wonderful walk…there are still many wildflowers that should be popping up in the next week or two.

Off today for another wildflower walk.

Stay tuned!