Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens) is one of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in the Smoky Mountains. All of the photos on this page were found near the top of the Chestnut Top Trail, starting to bloom in mid-March. The blossom tends from white to pale pink. There are also good displays of Trailing Arbutus along…
Dogwood Lullaby is one of the most comfortable and lyrical of my featured Smoky Mountains photos. You can almost hear the dogwood blossoms singing a soft melody on an easy-going Spring morning. Hard times of Winter are over, replaced by the lighthearted and feathery, warm and hopeful days of Spring. Well, I’m probably laying it…
Star Grass (Hypoxis hirsuta) is a common perennial herb that grows to 8 inches or so. It blooms in mid-May, and when not in bloom looks much like a clump of grass. These Smoky Mtns wildflowers are similar to Blue-eyed Grass, and in fact I found both of these blooming grasses on the same day…
Dogwood Tapestry is one of my premier Smoky Mountains photos in a vertical format. The scene is along the Middle Prong of the Little River, in the Tremont section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This photo is from the same area as Dogwood Rain. The finished photograph is actually a mild double exposure….
Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) is an April-blooming Smoky Mtns wildflower, with the flowers ranging in color from the light blue in the photo above to deep purple. Another common name is Woodland Phlox. It is one of several varieties of phlox found in the Smokies. Perhaps the most impressive display of this woodland beauty can…
Celebrating Mountain Laurel time, a special Smoky Mountains event that happens every May, I’m offering this free computer wallpaper or screensaver image. It’s a close-up of a bloom with some extra textures blended in. This photo, and all other Smoky Mountains wallpaper, can be downloaded from http://williambritten.com/wallpaper/ Just click on the file name “mountain-laurel-wall.jpg” and then…
Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) can be found along rich hillsides in late April and May. The spathe (pulpit) might be green or come with purple stripes. The inflorescence (Jack) has tiny flowers at its base. This Smoky Mtns wildflower is one of only five living organisms that can change sexes. If you look carefully along hillside trails…
Vasey’s Trillium (Trillium vaseyi) is the largest and the last blooming of the Smoky Mountains trilliums. It is found only in the Southern Appalachians and is infrequently found in the Smokies. The photos on this page were taken on the Kanati Fork Trail in late April. George Vasey was a Botanist who lived from 1822-1893,…
White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) is a member of the Buttercup family, and it blooms in mid to late April in the Smoky Mountains. I have often seen it blooming near the beginning of the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier. This wildflower is aromatic and can grow to about 3 feet tall. In the fall…
There are several species of Bellwort that you may encounter during Smoky Mtn springtime trail hikes. In the photos above and below you can easily see where the name comes from. Above is Perfoliate Bellwort (Uvalaria perfoliata). It’s smaller than Large-flowered Bellwort, but larger than the Sessileleaf Bellwort below. Other common names for this plant are Cow…
Happy Friday! It’s been a while since we had a Philosophical Friday. Today’s thoughts are about living in an area like Gatlinburg that features great changes in altitude. Downtown Gatlinburg is about 1500 feet above sea level, yet only about 20 miles away, on the top of Clingman’s Dome, the altitude has climbed to 6,643 feet!…
Yellow Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium pubescens) is a stunning and rare member of the orchid family. This is an April blooming Smoky Mtn wildflower. Because of its scarcity and beauty, the Yellow Lady’s Slipper is endangered by poaching. For this reason, location information is passed quietly among dedicated wildflower enthusiasts. There are 47 varieties of the Cypripedium…
In April of every year the Smoky Mountains are showered with dogwood blooms like a late spring snowstorm. Everywhere you go … up in the Greenbrier, along the Little River or the lower elevations of the Newfound Gap Road … in Elkmont and Tremont … the dogwoods sprinkle their blooms like white notes on the…
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is an unusual Smoky Mountains wildflower found in April on moist hillsides and stream banks. It’s a member of the Birthwort family, and the rhizomes do actually have the taste and smell of ginger. The plant has been used as a natural tea to ease an assortment of ailments. If you…
Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia) is an unusual and attractive Smoky Mtn wildflower. It’s a member of the Primrose family and grows to two feet high. All of the photos on this page were taken in mid-April during a hike to White Oak Sinks in the Smokies. The name Dodecatheon means “twelve gods.” This wildflower grows from southern…
Dwarf Ginseng (Panax trifolius) is a tiny plant. The photos on this page make it seem larger than it is. In reality it is something like a white gumdrop lying on the forest floor! The globe-like blossom at the end of a single stem is known as an umbel. This variety of Ginseng has no…
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is a delicate and beautiful presence all along Little River Rd in the Smoky Mountains during April. Look opposite of the river, along the rock walls that border the road. Their pale orange and yellow colors actually blend into the surroundings as you drive by, but if you stop at almost any…
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia) is the largest, rarest, last to bloom, and probably the most stunning of the Smoky Mountains Decentras. The other two in this family are Dutchman’s Breeches and Squirrel Corn. The word “decentra” in Greek means “two-spurred,” and describes the unique shape of the blossoms. The photos on this page were all…
Trout Lily (Erythronium umbilicatum) is an early spring bloomer that can be found before the trees leaf out in the lower elevations of the Smoky Mountains. However, I have seen it blooming much later near the 6000 foot level along the Clingman’s Dome Road. Trout Lily often forms large colonies by way of their root…
The gorgeous wildflower above is a Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) photographed near the Porter’s Creek trailhead. Wildflower season is finally here again!
Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) is one of the earliest Smoky Mountains wildflowers. The pictures above and below were taken on March 8th along the Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail. On that day Hepatica was the only one of the wildflowers to be seen on the trail! Hepatica is a member of the buttercup family and comes in…
The photo above was taken this week in the Cades Cove area of the Smoky Mountains. The calendar says it’s still winter, but these daffodils say it’s time for spring! That’s Hyatt Lane branching off the loop road in the upper part of the photo. The large clump of daffodils is huddled around three large…
I need a short break from the relentlessly snowy pictures lately. Time to think ahead to the gorgeous green and swollen waters of a Smoky Mountains stream in springtime. The one above is the East Prong of the Little Pigeon River flowing happily through the Greenbrier. The one below is the West Prong of the…
Halberd-leaved Violet (Viola hastata) is a very early bloomer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, showing its yellow blossoms as early as late March. The name halberd actually refers to a medieval battle axe, which apparently is shaped like this delicate little flower’s leaves. Look for this yellow violet along the Greenbrier Road or…
It’s that time of year when the late-spring woods are lit up with various shades of orange, yellow and red of the Flame Azalea. The large wild azalea above was found along the Rich Mountain Road above Cades Cove, and the ones below were seen along the road between Big Creek and Cataloochee. Please stop…
The name Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) certainly conjures a soft, cute impression, and in real life, this wildflower is just that. Blooming in April and May, Pussytoes usually forms a clump of many plants. As the flower goes from bud to bloom, it’s almost hard to tell the difference, as it stays compact and tight the…
Bluets (Houstonia serpyllifolia) are identified by the four blue petals surrounding a yellow spot. Common names for this wildflower include Thyme-leaved Bluet, Prostrate Bluet, Mountain Bluet, and Creeping Bluet. The plant is tiny, only 3 to 5 inches tall, but growing in a large group they can make a beautiful statement. The photo above was…
Pennywort (Obolaria virginica) is a diminutive wildflower that can easily be overlooked among the fallen leaves in the Smoky Mountains forests. There is a nice colony of them at the start of the Schoolhouse Gap Trail, just to the left, blooming in mid April. Look for groups of these tiny plants with their green, waxy…
I live in Gatlinburg TN, on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Smokies are a very spiritual place, and I attempt to capture some of that spirit in each of my photographs.
If you are in Gatlinburg, please stop in at my gallery .
Follow William Britten's Smoky Mountains News and Photos on Facebook!
By pressing 
in the box above, you can follow the celebration of life in the Great Smoky Mountains with stunning photos, daily news posts, photo tips, and special offers to Facebook fans!
Join my Wildflower Community on Facebook!
