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Chunky Gal Mountain October 2019 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2019) |
|
Chunky Gal Mountain October 2019 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2019) |
| We finally had some cooler temps, so it seemed like a good day for a hike, while also looking for any late fall blooms. I decided to visit a section of the Chunky Gal Trail which I'd never been on. It was a nice walk along the ridge, but clouds and intermittent drizzle prevented any views. I wasn't finding any wildflowers of special interest, so I decided to cut down off the ridge, and came upon several springs feeding into a large seep area. |
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| Tall Rattlesnakeroot (Nabalus altissimus) This was the only interesting species I found blooming on top of the ridge, and it was past its prime... |
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| White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) Despite hundreds of plants with seedheads here, this single flower was the only bloom remaining... Note: After observing these in full bloom in 2020, I determined that these were actually Chelone obliqua... |
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| Appalachian Gentian, aka Showy Gentian (Gentiana decora) with a snail. |
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| Appalachian Gentian |
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| Appalachian Gentian |
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| Thymeleaf Bluet (Houstonia serpyllifolia) |
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| I started to find orchids in the seep. My guess is Platanthera psycodes. Note: The following spring these were confirmed to be P. psycodes. |
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| Orchid inflorescence gone to seed |
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| A number of orchids can be seen here in their habit at the edge of the seep. I can't wait to return next year and see some of these plants in bloom! |
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| As I was heading out, I spotted the remains of two Kidney Leaf Grass of Parnassus flowers. Only one petal remained on this one, but it shows off the plant's reproductive parts. |
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| A sad looking Parnassia flower, but it was the only one I found blooming here, besides the previous image. When I spotted these, I thought they were P. grandifolia due to the green ovary, but a closer look revealed them as P. asarifolia. |
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| Old Man's Beard (Usnea species) |
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| Beechdrops (Epifagus virginiana) |
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| The base of this area was the site of CCC Camp No. F-12 in the 1930s. The re-route of Hwy 64 in the early 1970s destroyed most of the evidence of this camp. |
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| Unknown moss-covered concrete structure Except for the old dam and swim pond, pictured in the spring 2020 album, this was the only evidence of the old CCC camp that I found. |