The sunflowers family is a big one, with 20 species known to inhabit Tennessee, and 7 of those found within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On a tour of the Cades Cove Loop Road, you will see many of these. Early one morning recently, I made the loop, stopping constantly to investigate yet another…
It’s not always about the Smoky Mountains, and sometimes I get miles away also. This week we’re away on a beach trip to South Carolina. While we’re away, you can still stop in to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photography at the William Britten Gallery on Glades Rd. The Gallery will be open several…
In the middle of a hot summer, I can get restless, and feeling a bit confined within the boundaries of “normal” images. I start to think “outside the camera.” For example, a few weeks ago I wrote a post about camera movement during long exposures to create photographic Impressionism. Today’s Smoky Mountains photos have a…
Hypericum is another family of wildflowers with lots of species. Over 25 can be identified in Tennessee and many of these can be found in the Smoky Mountains, giving plenty of opportunities for misidentification. Therefore, the two species in the photos here are my best effort to identify! St. Johns Wort is famous as an…
It’s a lazy summer Monday in June. Nothing much to do but park yourself out on the deck chairs, contemplate the Smoky Mtn fabulous view and start the day out slowly. One of the magical things about the Smoky Mtn area around Gatlinburg is that although there are hundreds of cabins with a view of the Smokies,…
The final art fair of the season is a wrap. We packed out of the Convention Center in Gatlinburg last night amid a snowstorm and the chaos of the annual cheerleader convention. The five fairs that we do in Gatlinburg were all a success, and I thank everyone reading this who might have stopped by…
Sneezeweed, or Bitterweed (Helenium amarum) is a common and pretty roadside summer wildflower. If cows eat this plant, their milk will taste bitter, giving the plant one of it’s common names. From the name Sneezeweed, you might assume a summer allergy problem. The name actually comes from Native Americans practice of using the dried flower…
False Dragonhead (Physostegia viginiana) is also called the Obedient Plant. Notice the way the flower buds line up perfectly in a column. If you twist the bloom, it will stay put, being obedient. For this reason, and because they are long-lasting, the plant is often cultivated for cut flower arrangements. False Dragonhead blooms from July-October,…
Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata) is a large, bushy plant with many small flowers. It favors fields, roadsides, and open woods. The picture above was taken along the Cades Cove Loop Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The image picture was in the Greenbrier section along Porters Creek Trail. Look for Flowering Spurge in…
We’ll spend this week catching up on our review of the summer wildflowers found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Pale Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida) is also known as Pale Touch-Me-Not. This is a large plant, up to six feet, favoring moist, shady wooded areas. The name Jewelweed refers to its habit of accumulating water…
Smooth Creeping Bush Clover (Lespedeza repens) is a trailing, ground-hugging, member of the pea family that adds a beautiful accent to the dry woods of summer. The pictures here were taken along Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Please stop in and visit me to see the…
If you drive into some of the less traveled areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, such as Greenbrier or Tremont, eventually the road turns to gravel, and in summer you will start to see large quantities of butterflies. So many that sometimes it’s hard to keep from running them over. The swallowtail above…
Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) is a tall, single-stalk summer wildflower, blooming during late-summer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It favors moist streambanks and roadsides. The pictures here were taken along the Greenbrier Road. The Latin name siphilitica refers to the use of this plant as a treatment for syphilis. Please stop in…
Loomis Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum loomisii) is distinctive due to the appearance of being dusted with white powder around the bloom and upper leaves. The name Pycnanthemum means “compact flower,” referring to the dense flowering heads common to the mints. This is a common roadside plant during the summer months. Please stop in and visit me…
The photograph above is the Green Headed, or Cutleaf Coneflower. It blooms all along the roadside in the middle of summer up near Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . Here’s a fun photo tip for taking a picture like the one above. One of my favorite techniques is to take the photo…
I can’t seem to get enough of Cades Cove this summer. Maybe it’s due to the renovated loop road. The photograph above was taken along Hyatt Lane, which bisects the loop road in the Cades Cove section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This picture was taken on the same morning as one of…
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) is a member of the mint family, and as the name implies, holds lots of attraction for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. There is also a purple bee-balm found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The examples above and below were found along the Clingman’s Dome Road, where this wildflower is…
It’s a blue-sky morning, clouds floating by. The Smoky Mountains are shimmering in the distance. Two cheerful rockers wait for you on the deck. Take a few moments, sit down, take it all in. It’s a good day for a hike or a good day to wander the shops on Glades Rd. Please stop in…
Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. humilis) blooms from July to October. Look for it along the Clingman’s Dome Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s a large plant growing up to 5 feet tall. The yellow coneflower is more often seen at higher elevations, while the orange variation is more at home at lower…
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 .
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