Posts filed under ‘Jack in the Pulpit’
Spring Wildflowers at Falls Ridge Nature Preserve
My mother accompanied Sagan and I on a weekend to Blacksburg, Virginia. The weekend went by super fast, but on the way home, we were able to meet some of my friends for a quick hike at the Nature Conservancy’s Falls Ridge Nature Preserve. I’ve been there numerous times before, but this time was one of the most beautiful of trips. Not only did the falls look spectacular, but we were greeted with a rather large variety of blooming wildflowers.
Some snippets of the falls:
Mossy Waterfall
Curvy Falls
A snippet of the wildflowers:
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) with Ferns
Closeup of Wild Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis)
Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) Not Quite Blooming Yet
Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Possible Showy Orchid (Orchis spectabilis)
Possible Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera)
Possible False Solomon’s Seal (Smilacina racemosa)
More photos of our Falls Ridge Wildflower Hike can be found on my Flickr site.
| Falls Ridge Preserve
Length: You can make it as long or as short as you want Elevation Gain: Flat, except for a hill to the top of the falls. Driving and Parking: The final approach to the preserve is a flat gravel road. There is plenty of parking. Directions from Blacksburg, VA |
Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Plant Architecture Mini Safari
On April 30, Georgia at localecologist went on an Animal Architecture Safari in Brooklyn. That very same weekend, I was also in Brooklyn and admiring architecture. Only I was taking note of plants instead of animals!
One thing I loved about the Brooklyn Botanic Garden was how they used recognizable species in their structures.
Gingko Leaves Carved into a Stone Column
I was particularly fond of the doorway to the Native Flora Garden. The metalwork on the door had some cameos by familiar wildflowers.
The Native Flora Garden Door
The left panel of the door featured a Lady Slipper Orchid. They even included the grains in the leaves!
Lady Slipper Orchid (Actual Lady Slipper Orchid Photo is by reznicek111)
Meanwhile, the right side of the door featured a Jack in the Pulpit.
Jack in the Pulpit! (Actual Jack in the Pulpit Photo is by pl1602)
What wonderful attention to detail they put into their designs!
More pictures of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden can be found on my Flickr site.
Petites Gap to Cornelius Creek Shelter – Wildflower Row
On Saturday, I joined a group of six other hikers (mostly from the Charlottesville/Potomac Appalachian Trail Club area) for a hike along the Appalachian Trail. We started at Petites Gap which is Mile Post 71 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We hiked about 7.3 miles on the AT, then we went 1 mile down Apple Orchard Falls Trail to Apple Orchard Falls. From there, we backtracked 0.5 miles up Apple Orchard Falls Trail. Next we cut across Apple Orchard Road 1 mile to Cornelius Creek Trail. We ascended 0.6 miles to get back to the AT. Finally, we hiked 1.6 miles down the AT to the Cornelius Creek Shelter. We ended back up at the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mile Post 80.5.
This section of trail had it all– views, waterfalls, wildflowers. It offered so much, it felt like 4-5 different hikes combined into one. Some many features of this section are described below:
View of Devil’s Marbleyard
As we ascended through Thunder Ridge Wilderness, we pass a rock outcropping with a views of Devil’s Marbleyard. It’s quite a different perspective than Mike E and I had a few weeks ago at the Marbleyard.
Devil’s Marbleyard from Thunder Ridge Wilderness
Thunder Ridge Overlook
Also accessible from the Blue Ridge Parkway, we passed by an overlook near the high point of Thunder Ridge.
View from Thunder Ridge Overlook
The Guillotine
As we neared the summit of Apple Orchard Mountain, we passed under a boulder balancing precariously above the trail.
Ken, with remarkable faith, sits on top of the Guillotine with the Appalachian Trail below
Apple Orchard Summit
Our passage took us to the summit of Apple Orchard Mountain. At 4225 feet, this is the highest point the trail reaches in some time. Northbound hikers would have go to 1000 miles to New Hampshire to reach a higher elevation. Meanwhile Southbound hikers would need to go 600 miles.
Summit sign at Apple Orchard Mountain
View from summit of Apple Orchard Mountain
Apple Orchard Mountain was named for the trees at the top. They are not apple trees, rather they are red oaks that have been twisted and deformed by wind and ice. To the locals, the trees appeared to be a deserted orchard. Thus the name.
Namesake of Apple Orchard Mountain
The summit sports more than trees and great views. An FAA air traffic radar tower is present up there as well.
FAA Radar Tower at top of Apple Orchard Mountain
Apple Orchard Falls
Our side trek took us to beautiful 150-foot Apple Orchard Falls.
Apple Orchard Falls
Black Rock Overlook
One of our final stops of the journey was Black Rock Overlook which provides outstanding views, including Peaks of Otter to the left.
Layers of ridges visible from Black Rock
Peaks of Otter (Flat Top) from Black Rock
Wildflowers
Last, but not least, our hike provided us with a steady stream of wildflower viewing opportunities. The Appalachian Trail Guide to Central Virginia describes this section well.
This area is famous for its spring flowers– acres of large flowered trillium, being crowded by mayapple, as well as a showing of bloodroot, showy orchids, large-flowered bellwort, mountain lily-of-the-valley, blue cohosh, and rattlesnake plantain (an orchid).
However, we met a thru hiker named Biker Barb who improved upon the guidebook’s description.
It is like walking through a botanical garden.
Biker Barb was right. Our journey provided such a variety and high quality of specimens, it very well could have been a botanical garden.
To Be Identified — Chickweed?
Mayapple which has a single stealth bloom underneath a broad leaf canopy
Jack in the Pulpit
Two of the thousands of trilliums on the trail
Pink Lady Slipper Orchids
To Be Identified – Spiderwort?
Rhododendrons
Mountain Laurel
It was a wonderful and fulfilling journey. Many thanks to Jere Bidwell for organizing this trip and inviting me!!!
Additional Links
Many, many more pictures on Flickr
Kevin Myatt’s article on Apple Orchard Falls for the Roanoke Times
Thunder Ridge Wilderness Area
TGAW 
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