A Cool List of Trees

Now here is a cool list of trees for those who may like to bring a bit of the Smokey Mountains into their landscape. On the Great Smokey Mountains National Park website they have published a list of all the trees in the park and even included the non-native ones denoted with an asterisk. What I find interesting is where they have indicated how abundant the plants are. They have also included shrubs, sub-shrubs, and vines. Take a look!

Plant of the Week: Flame Azalea

Rhododendron calendulaceum

This week's Plant of the Week was the Flame Azalea. Most people answered it pretty close. This is actually a native plant to the Smokey Mountains. It grows from four to eight feet tall and spreads out somewhere between ten to fifteen feet. My wife and I found this particular plant in 2003 along the Abram's Falls trail. We took the pictures on the way up the trail but sadly when we came back down the trail they were gone. The fiery orange petals could be seen strewn up and down the trail. Several children destroyed them while their parents watched. The National Parks are there for people to learn and observe nature in its beauty. Kids will be kids but it's up to the parents to impress upon their children the importance of preservation. It was a missed opportunity for the parents of these children to discuss the purpose of the National Parks. There are many other flame azaleas in other areas of the park but these were the only ones we saw on that trail. It's just too bad that those people who followed the children up the trail didn't get to see the flame azaleas that day.

Fall Colors

Fall in Tennessee is known for its wonderful color displays. We have a variety of trees both of deciduous and evergreen trees that usually make spectacular displays of colors. Unfortunately these trees have suffered with the drought this past year and have not fully shown their colors. Here are some pictures of past autumn colors in the Smokey Mountains. We used to make fall pilgrimages to a place called Cades Cove. It's a great place for a hike or a picnic and is nestled in the Tennessee side of the mountains. Some of the pictures are taken from the top of Clingman's Dome, another great stop in the Smokies.