Mandarin Coves and Adjacent Cliffs Southern Nantahala Wilderness - Late April 2020 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2020) |
My first trip of 2020 up to the Mandarin Coves was later than prior years, so I missed some of the early bloomers. |
|
Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) I saw a large shrub where a fallen branch had just knocked off several flower clusters. This was one of them... |
|
Catesby's Trillium (Trillium catesbaei) |
|
Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) flower |
|
Large-flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) |
|
Cliff Saxifrage, aka Michaux's Saxifrage (Micranthes petiolaris) Typical form: 3 upper petals clawed and with 2 yellow spots, the 2 lower petals cuneate and not spotted. |
|
Micranthes petiolaris - variation? Atypical variation: each petal distinctly clawed and with 2 yellow spots. |
|
Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). |
|
These were prolific on the wet cliffs above the cove. |
|
Most were going to seed, but there were still some fresh flowers... |
|
Spotted Mandarin, aka Spotted Fairy Bells (Prosartes maculata) These were on their way out, and the Yellow Mandarins were quickly blooming to replace them... |
|
Yellow Mandarin, aka Yellow Fairy Bells (Prosartes lanuginosa) |
|
Eastern Green Violet (Cubelium concolor) This was a new species for me, and I found lots of it growing here. |
|
Tiny flowers of the Cubelium concolor (syn. Hybanthus concolor) |
|
A closer view; the tiny flowers were just opening. |
|
Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) |
|
The Trillium erectums were pretty much on their way out... |
|
Flowers of the Umbrella Leaf (Diphylleia cymosa) |
|
A big, fat (although past its prime) Morel (Morchella sp.). |