Blue Ridge Parkway Wildflower Bloom Schedule

Pinxter Flower

This is an exciting time of year on the AT and along the BRP because of all the wildflowers that are blooming. One of the joys of being a maintainer is that you become so familiar with your section of trail that you'll know to look for certain flowers in a particular place around the time when you've seen them blooming before.

The early flowers like Bloodroot have already bloomed, the Mayapples are larger now and looking like green umbrellas and the Birdfoot Violets are out.  In late May, the gorgeous Mountain Laurel and Catawba Rhododendron will be blooming just north of Bear Spring and also among the laurel thickets are Pinxter flowers that bloom around the same time. The Pinxter flowers have a very sweet smell and when you hike through the laurel you can sometimes smell them without having to put your nose right up to the blooms.

Other flowers that you might see along the AT during May and into June are: Bluets, Trilliums (the west side sections of the AT), Wild Geranium, Fire Pinks, and Foam Flowers. The White Fringetrees will be blooming on Cedar Cliffs sometime in late May. They also have a sweet smell that is much stronger than the Pinxter flower and you can smell them as you begin to approach the Cliffs when they are in full bloom.

So you will know what to look for as the seasons progress, here is a link to a really nice BRP Wildflower Bloom Schedule and most of the flowers have a link to a picture and description:


Blue Ridge Parkway Wildflower Bloom Schedule

Note: For quick access, this link is listed on the "Links & Info"  tab on the blog)

Just being out in the woods and away from the hubbub is reward enough ..... and then you get the added pleasure of seeing the wildflowers in bloom.