From our Sunday walk...
Showy Orchis. Galearis (Orchis) spectabilis.
Probably the loveliest of the 30+ orchids in the Smokies, this is one of my favorite wildflowers, perhaps because it one of the rarer species.
Or maybe it's because it's purple.
Crested Dwarf Iris. Iris cristata.
Okay so maybe it is the color because this is one of my favorites, too, and it's not so rare as the Showy Orchis. It just seems like a happy little flower.
Creeping Phlox. Phlox stolonifera.
Very common throughout Spring and early summer all over WNC. Almost a weed. Pretty nonetheless.
Foamflower. Tiarella cordifolia.
Another commoner, still pretty in a delicate way.
Wild Geranium. Geranium maculatum.
False Solomon's Seal. Smilacina racemosa.
Not yet bloomed. Also called Solomon's Plume or Solomon's Zigag.
Plantain-leaved Pussy's Toes. Antennaria plantaginifolia.
Also known as Ladies Tobacco. This is a first sighting of this one for me.
Duckweed. Lemna perpusilla.
According to Wildflowers of North Carolina by William S. Justice and C. Ritchie Bell, these "are among the smallest flowering plants in the world. Each flower is reduced to only a single stamen or a single pistil; there are no sepals or petals...(They are) more frequent southward and rarely flower in our area."
And now, the piece de resistence...
Our friend Jack. As in Jack-in-the-Pulpit. This is just such an unusual plant, which is hard to spot but quite rewarding when you do. I find it incredibly beautiful.
Isn't he lovely, hiding in there? I also love the terms that describe this plant: the striped part(the pulpit) is called the spathe and the "Jack" inside is the spadix. Once the spathe withers, it exposes scarlet berries. Also according to my Justice and Bell book, "the raw corm (similar to a bulb) is very pungent but is edible when boiled." Interesting.
There were some Nodding Trillium, which I love, but I did not get clear photos of them and my battery ran out before I came back down the trail to see them again. Next time, I suppose.
You can find my previous post of Great Smokies wildflowers here. I took those photos approximately one week before these.
