16. White Trillium
With huge single white flowers sitting upon the characteristic three leaves of the Trillium, they are probably showiest of the Trillium. When they fade with age, these flowers turn pink, signaling to the pollinators that pollination has happened.
Do you know, Native Americans chewed the rhizomes of this plants to fight the effects of a snakebite.As already mentioned in other Trillium trivia above, I found these in the Little River Trail in a huge number.
17. Wild Stonecrop
I saw these flowers with succulent leaves grown on the slopes of the Chestnut Top Trail.
This plant has this distinct three-spokes arrangement for the flowering stems. According to Mountain folklore, if these wildflowers thrives near your home, good times follow!
18. Star Cheekweed
Birds search widely for this plant’s seeds, so the name – “Chickweed”! This flower is fun! Just go back to its picture and tell me how many petals are there in a flower? 10. I hear you say. I am sorry, that’s not correct…What appears as 10 petals are actually just five! Each petal is cut almost to its base and thus gives this false impression. In past, mountain tribes believed that if a Chickweed flower is open, it’s a guarantee for few hours without rain! 🙂
19. Smooth Solomon’s Seal
“Wait, where are the flowers here?” – You might have exclaimed looking at the picture of this plant. See those small tubular things hanging hidden below the leaves on the gracefully arching stems? They are the flowers.
I found this rare hidden flowers accidentally when I bent down to pick up something while walking on the Chestnut Top Trail.
20. Northern White Violet
These elusively scented tiny white flowers prefer rich forest and cool shaded woods. Did you know, ancient Greeks and the Romans used Violets for all sorts of things such as herbal remedies, for festivals, for making wine and to sweeten foods?
21. Fringed Phacelia
These densely packed early spring flowers prefer moist woods, and can be found at the Chimney Tops Trail and Newfound Gap Road. These white flowers look so delicate! They are about half inch wide and have a bell-shaped corolla with five spreading deeply fringed lobes.
22. Robin’s Plaintain
These flowers are from Daisy family with this special Lilac ray flowers. This plant is throughout hairy. They grow in open, moist woods, woodland edges and thickets. I found hundreds of these beautiful flowers in the Porters creek trail, with so many bumble bees hovering over them!Â
23. Meadow Parsnip
Meadow Parsnip has tiny yellow flowers in a branched, wide cluster. The central flower of each cluster is on a small stalk. The way these flowers are arranged on a plant is termed as “inflorescence.” They are found in woods and stream banks.
24. Golden Ragwort
Common Ragwort, a member of the aster family, is a biennial plant, flowering in its second year (this made me smile as I spotted them in the Smokies woods aplenty this year!) It has clusters of yellow daisy like flowers, and much divided leaves that almost look like feathers.
The root and leaf of Ragwort are used in teas by the Cherokee Indians for heart trouble! 🙂
25. Fire Pink
This is the only pure red color flower I found during my wildflowers trip to Smoky mountains this spring, and voila! It’s name turns out to be “Fire Pink!” Actually, “Pink” does not refer to the petals color, but to their shape. Each of those five petals is “pinked (notched)” at its tip.
This plant is also called “catch-fly” sometimes, because it has sticky hairs on its sepals.I found these Fire Pink flowers in the Chestnut Top Trail.
26. Dwarf Cinquefoil
Cinquefoil means – an ornamental design of five lobes arranged in a circle. Dwarf Cinquefoil is a low-growing plant with 5 leaves and 5 petals on the yellow blossom. These cute plants are rarely more than 4 Inches high!Â
I spotted few of these flowers at the Porters Creek Trail.
27. Purple Phacelia
Purple Phacelia is a pretty tall plant. Those lavender-blue flowers sit on top of hairy stems.When forming large patches these flowers look very attractive. And I, fortunately encountered them in just that way, at the Chestnut Top Trail!
28. Bishop’s Cap
These surreal looking dotty flowers were blossoming on the Chestnut Top Trail too. Bishop’s cap has dainty fringed flower petals and a single pair of opposite leaves half-way up the stalk. These flowers develop into unusual cup-like fruits with tiny black seeds inside.
Other name for these flowers is – “Mitella diphylla” . “Mitella” is Latin for cap, referring to seeds shape. “Diphylla” means two leaves.
29. Toothwort
Ancient physicians wrongly thought that the tooth-like projections on the white rhizome of this plant could cure a toothache! Toothwort flowers are grown in cluster with a pair of three-parted leaves below the cluster.
These flowers were highly valued by the mountain folks in past because of the strong, radish like, peppery taste of their rhizome.I spotted these interesting flowers in the Porters Creek Trail.
 Help me Identify!
No. 30
Now, I don’t think they are Phlox because the petals of Phlox are not so round, and possibly, they are not Geranium either, because I have very clearly identified them, see the Part II. All you wildflowers experts out there, please let me know the name of this flowers! 🙂
No. 31
Every spring/summer I spot this snow-fall like beds of millions of white wildflowers at Smokies, particularly by the roadside like this, and on slopes. I suppose they are Fringed White Phacelia. Help me if you know better! 🙂
No. 32
Look at them! Aren’t they gorgeous? But I have not been able to know what they are yet. If you know the name, please leave your comment in the comments section! 🙂
The moment of epiphany!
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary…
Epiphany
noun
(1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of somethingÂ
(2)Â :Â an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and strikingÂ
(3)Â :Â an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure
For me, this sudden, very simple, but stunning moment of realization happened when I was climbing down back from the picture perfect – Chestnut Top Trail.
Dusk was approaching and so was the end of my wildflowers trip to the Smoky mountains.
I had counted spotting more than 30 odd species. I was quite content, but I was casually wondering whether I would actually be able to identify each and every of these forest flowers…
Suddenly I turned around to have one more look (before I left) at the beautiful curvy trail going up on the hill. And there it all was. Hundreds of flowers. Some of them noticed and photographed by me, and many more, not.
And a thought flashed –
How does it matter…even if I know all the flower species on this whole planet?Â
Just one flower in this woodland which has sprouted out of nowhere, and all by itself – is a sheer miracle by itself.
I may not ever fathom the blossoming of even that one, single, flower…and the truth of its absolutely beautiful, unique and fragrant existence!
This was overwhelming. This was, even scary.
My childlike enthusiasm for counting wildflowers got hurt in this moment. Although I felt humbled, I felt this strange sense of helplessness too.
I passed through that tough moment of realization and came out freer, happier and filled with a little more gratitude about being a part of this grand puzzle called – Nature!
Although I am allowing my intellect to remain curious for the names of those three beautiful wildflowers that I haven’t been able to identify, but not without enjoying the utter ignorance about the mystical lives that they are! 🙂
Article and Images ©2018 Gyaneshwari Dave
– Wildflowers Information Sources –
“Wildflowers Of The Smokies” by Peter White &
Wildflowers Guide by Great Smoky Mountains Association & National Park Service
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