Wood Violet – Viola palmata – Added to USWildflowers Database

Wood Violet, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (09/01/2010.)  Scientific name is Viola palmata.  It is also is known by the common name Early Blue Violet and Trilobed Violet.  Photo below was taken on Pigeon Mountain in Walker County, Ga, on April 4, 2009.

Wood Violet, Early Blue Violet, Trilobed Violet - Viola palmata

#NPOD: Bird’s Foot Violet

04/14/2010 Wildflower Status Update on The Pocket

Work and grandkid schedule have left time only for a quick trip down to The Pocket on Wednesday evening.  My primary purpose was to determine if the Bellwort down there is Large-flowered or Perfoliate (mission accomplished.)  We also took a spin around the boardwalk and made a trip north of the parking area, but did not get up the horse trail toward the falls, so I’m unable to update the status of flowers found along that trail.

Wild Geranium - Geranium maculatum

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04/06/2010 Wildflower Status Update at The Pocket on Pigeon Mountain

We made a quick trip down to The Pocket on Tuesday evening.  We made a short 100-yard walk up the horse trail and took a spin around the boardwalk, so I’m unable to update the status of flowers found along the trail to the falls, but here’s what I’ve got.

Wild Blue Phlox from 04/06/2010

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04/01/2010 The Pocket Status Update

In summary: This will be a good weekend at The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, especially since tomorrow is forecast to be sunny and warm, as was today. 

Aquilegia canadensis - Columbine from 04/01/2010

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Roundleaf Violet – Viola rotundifolia – Added to USWildflowers Database

Roundleaf Violet,  a native  species, has been added to the USWildflowers.com database.  Scientific name is Viola rotundifolia.

Roundleaf Violet - Viola rotundifolia

03/27/2010 The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain with GA Botanical Society

On Saturday I participated in the Georgia Botanical Society outing to The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, led by Mike Christison.  I’m a new member of the BotSoc, as they call it, and this membership in this organization is already paying dividends in many ways.  In addition to showing me two more wildflowers sites on Pigeon Mountain, I picked up two new species at The Pocket.  One of those was the Roundleaf Yellow Violet.

Roundleaf Yellow Violet

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04/25/2009 The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain

For those who were hoping for, as Ed Sullivan would have put it, “A Really Big Shew,” the time has passed in 2009.  However, that is relative to The Pocket, and the abundance of wildflowers still exceed what you’ll find in many areas.  While the dominant flower along the Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail seems to be Sweet Cicely right now, a species that isn’t exactly ’showy,’ several of the “signature species” could still be found on Saturday, 4/25.

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04/11/2009 The Pocket – Status Update

To avoid crowds like those that were on the Shirley Miller Trail at The Pocket on Pigeon Mountain last week, I headed down there early Saturday morning, arriving at the parking area shortly after 8 AM. The sky was overcast, but the wind was low – a good situation for wildflower photography. My first stop was the dogwood tree beside the parking area.

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04/04/2009 The Pocket – CVPC Keenagers

Due to rain and obligations, it had been 9 days since I’d been down to The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain. Today was the Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church’s Keen-agers’ annual (I think) wildflower hike at The Pocket, so at 10 AM I joined the other folks in my age group at the church, and soon we headed on down to Pigeon Mountain. I returned from the hike with 381 photographs; two of them with people in them. After an initial run through the photographs, I’ve deleted about 150 of them; both photos of people remain.

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03/26/2009 The Pocket Wildflowers

Five days ago I said “a couple more weeks” for the columbine.  Down by the creek they are just getting close; one plant is real close to opening up its bloom.  But up above the falls on a rock that gets sun most of the day, there was a single columbine blossom adorning that rock.  There were a few other surprises along the way. Read the rest of this entry »

03/22/2009 The Glen on Lookout Mountain

Joseph in the Passage

The Glen on Lookout Mountain, with the trailhead along Och’s Highway which goes from Chattanooga to Lookout Mountain, Georgia – home of Rock City – is a great place to take the grandkids.  A nice trail with no really challenging sections, relatively short walk to the creek down which the water cascades (at least until the dry summer,) and that great area with high rock bluffs makes for a fun adventure without taking the entire day.  Read the rest of this entry »

03/18/2009 The Pocket

Long-Spurred Violet

I only have time for a quick post, so I’ll list what I found… Read the rest of this entry »