Rockfish Gap to Reeds Gap ..... that little piece of "AT heaven" we all love so much. This is a blog for the dedicated volunteers who maintain the 19.1 miles of white-blazed AT and some blue-blazed side trails as well.
Since the shelter crew gave our tools and packs a ride back to the tool shed in their pickup truck, there was time for a leisurely stroll down the Blue Ridge Parkway to take pictures of the wildflowers and butterflies. The butterflies pretty much ignored the camera, even when it was only feet away ..... the ironweed was the sole focus of their attention. This was one of the most fun and exciting times I think I've ever had taking pictures .... pretty incredible, but then so were the butterflies and wildflowers! ~ Merlot
Brand new fence along the BRP defining the homestead area and some black-eyed Susies.
Wildflowers gone to 'fuzzy' seed.
The Butterflies:
First views of the butterflies .....
Two butterflies on the ironweed!
Wings open on both butterflies.
Ironweed next to Queen Anne's Lace .... and a butterfly in the middle
... and then it got even better!
Last one .... finally had to move on.
More wildflowers:
Even a thistle can be lovely.
The ground in one spot was littered with hickory nuts ....
obviously the squirrels have been having a feast.
The last flowers before the driveway to the Visitor's Center.
Scarlet, orange, pink, purple and yellow .... all of these colorful wildflower pictures were taken in August of 2012 on the R2R section of AT or near the Humpback Rocks Visitor's Center. Definitely blooming beauties to look forward to seeing this year, on our next work trip (August 17)!
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
[Photo location: Humpback Visitor's Center]
Cardinal flowers are a brilliant scarlet and while some think they are named after the Cardinal bird, the name most likely came from the color of vestments worn by officials in the Roman Catholic Church. These flowers are so beautiful and showy, they have become less common and in some cases, endangered due to over picking. They like moist areas and are often found along creeks. The cardinal flower is well-suited for hummingbirds. Due to its beauty, it has been the subject of more than one verse of poetry:
The Cardinal Flower
(John Burroughs, 1837 - 1921)
Like peal of a bugle
Upon the still night,
So flames her deep scarlet
In dim forest light.
A heart-throb of color
Lit up the dim nook,
A dash of deep scarlet
The dark shadows shook.
Thou darling of August,
Thou flame of her flame,
'T is only bold Autumn
Thy ardor can tame.
♦ ♦ ♦
Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
[Photo location: Rockfish Gap]
Jewelweed grows in profusion on many sections of the R2R AT. It is particularly abundant on the two west side sections (10 & 11) where it grows often among the stinging nettle. Jewelweed is considered a balm for both stinging nettle and the itch of poison ivy. Due to its shape, the jewelweed was designed for pollination by the ruby-throated hummingbird, although if the hummingbirds are not available, the jewelweed can produce seeds anyway because it has cleistogamous flowers (non-opening - an extreme way of self-pollinating). Jewelweed seeds are contained in a case that is designed to "pop" open with some explosiveness when mature and disturbed, which is why it is often called the "touch-me-not".
♦ ♦ ♦
Bouncing Bet (Saponara officinalis)
[Photo location: Rockfish Gap]
Bouncing Bet is also known as 'soapwort' because its juice contains 'saponin' which will produce suds and dissolve grease and oils. It was originally cultivated in gardens in Europe and then brought to the colonies, however it has become a weed. The long tube of the flower makes it hard for insects to reach unless they have a long tongue ..... like butterflies and moths. The plant has been used for medicinal purposes as a skin wash for various conditions, but the saponin is irritating to the stomach and livestock will avoid eating it. The flowers are pinkish and the plants tend to form colonies.
♦ ♦ ♦
Monkshood (Aconitum uncinatum L.)
[Photo location: Section 8A]
Monkshood is one of my personal favorites for three reasons .... the unusual shape, the beautiful delicate purple color, and it is not commonly seen. The aconitum uncinatum L. is the southern blue monkshood and I'm guessing that is what is pictured, although the stems became viney as they got longer so it could be trailing monkshood aconitum reclinatum. The flowers above were actually trailing on the ground and had to be propped up for the picture. Monkshood is also called wolfsbane and you might know it by that name. Bottom line, all parts of Monkshood are poisonous. There are varieties cultivated for gardens (usually common monkshood aconitum napellus) and while very ornamental, it is recommended they not be put in gardens where children are around. Some garden sites recommend wearing gloves when handling Monkshood since the aconitine poison (a potent neurotoxin) can easily be absorbed through the skin. Look, admire, but best to not touch!
♦ ♦ ♦
Wild Sunflowers (Helianthus ...)
[Photo location: Section 8B]
The two most common wildflowers (herbaceous native plants with showy flowers) per some sources are the Blackeyed Susan(Rudbeckia hirta) and Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus). The sunflower above is perhaps the Helianthus decapetalus which is known as the Ten-petal sunflower (it has 10!) and Forest Sunflower, among other names. There are lots of wild sunflowers on Sections 8A and 8B. Section 8A has a small hollow that is known by the maintainers as 'Sunflower Valley' .... it is gorgeous when the plants are all in full bloom.
It was a beautiful hike to Bear Spring on Saturday. There were too many pictures to add to the post regarding the actual project work, so here are pictures of what we saw on the hike down the blue-blaze Howardsville Turnpike to the AT and up the back side of the mountain on Section 6 to the spring. A few photos were taken in the Bear Spring area.
Common Milkweed blows in the wind that is generally present at the HB Rocks Parking Lot.
Another unidentified wildflower just off the HB Rocks Parking Lot. From a distance, it looks like Queen Anne's Lace, but it's not.
A closeup of Black Cohosh which was along the upper part of the Howardsville Turnpike blue-blaze.
In one area just off the AT/Howardsville Turnpike, the forest floor was full of small, bright orange mushrooms.
Some of these orange mushrooms were growing on the very edge of the trail. A possible identification is Cantharellus cinnabarinus (a Chanterelle - edible) or a Jack-O-Lantern which is poisonous. It's best to leave mushroom ID to the experts.
Another interesting fungus(?) along the AT, shortly after leaving the Howardsville Turnpike road bed.
A stick insect ended up on a rock at the end of the log backstopping the temporary waterbar. It was tiny and pale green and obviously very unhappy at being so exposed, repeatedly trying to find a way off the gray rock. It got a ride on a glove finger to a green plant nearby where it became motionless and blended right in.
A closeup of the stick insect (cropped photo).
Several bear sightings have occurred in the Bear Spring area recently. We noticed several fairly large rocks in the trail on the hike to the spring and it was obvious a bear was pulling them off the hillside, looking under them for grubs, ants, etc. At the spring, a bear had been pulling rocks out of the switchback 'junk rocks' that discourage hikers from cutting the switchback - the largest dislodged rock is above with the dirt spot just to the top left, indicating where it originally had been placed. A large piece of Big Tree stump that was piled nearby was also moved and partially in the trail. We did find bear scat in the woods nearby while hunting waterbar rocks. Bear Spring is living up to its name!
WHAT? I can hear all the maintainers (especially on the 'west side', Sections 10 & 11) who have ever found themselves knee deep in the stuff, wondering exactly what is so "likeable" about stinging nettle! It seems that stinging nettle has many uses, other than being the bane of existence for hikers and trail maintainers. One of my very favorite wildflower books, Hedgemaids and Fairy Candles: The Lives and Lore of North American Wildflowers, lists some of the following uses for stinging nettle:
Cloth, paper, twine - stalks of old nettle are as good as flax for making cloth that some consider more durable than linen.
Eating - the young shoots and leaves are used (nettle pudding, a traditional dish in Scotland; nettle porridge; herb wine)
Medicinal - astringent, diuretic, to encourage milk production in mothers, a tea for rheumatism, and the stinging properties are used for urtication.
To see/hear an enthusiastic and spirited discussion of stinging nettle, you may want to watch the video below .... it rambles a little, but in general, the information is interesting and probably will give you a new "appreciation" for nettle when you encounter it on the trail, either while hiking or weed-whipping.:
What to do if you end up in a patch of the stuff and get "stung"? I've been stung through nylon hiking pants before so older, tall nettle can be pretty nasty. The 'hairs' on the plant contain formic acid in its natural state (the same substance found in the sting/bite of fire ants!) and that is what causes the burning, stinging, itching sensation. If you are around jewel weed, which tends to thrive in the same conditions that favor stinging nettle, you can break off a stalk and rub the juice on the affected area. Here's a picture of a jewel weed in bloom - the plants look similar, but the edges of the leaves on stinging nettle are 'sharper', while jewel weed is more rounded:
Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
(Photo: Merlot)
Cold water doesn't help (tried it) and you probably won't have much else with you unless you have alcohol, which is also supposed to help. Last, but not least, the juice of the stinging nettle is its own antidote - a remedy I've not tried because when I'm dealing with a nettle sting, the last thing I want to do is risk getting stung again. Time, about 10 minutes, is what it takes for the stinging/burning sensation to go away.
When you're out on the trail, wading through stinging nettle (hopefully not on one of our trail sections!) or weed-whipping the stuff into oblivion, you might also want to recall this lovely little poem by A.E. Houseman, which proves the point that poets will write about pretty much anything, even the nasty likeable stinging nettle!
The Stinging Nettle
The stinging nettle only
Will still be found to stand:
The numberless, the lonely,
The thronger of the land,
The leaf that hurts the hand.
That thrives, come sun, come showers;
Blow east, blow west, it springs;
It peoples towns, and towers,
Above the courts of Kings,
And touch it and it stings.
By the way, if you are weed whipping trail with stinging nettle on it, you will find that hikers coming through are probably the most thankful, appreciative hikers you will ever run into .... and yes, their "thank yous" do make all the work and dealing with stinging nettle worth while. It's what trail maintaining is all about.
Bear Corn along the trail just above the MacDougall Steps (June 2012)
Conopholis americana
Broomrape family (Orobanchaceae)
This is one of the stranger plants along the trail. This year, it seems to be particularly abundant .... reason unknown. We saw large patches of it while out working on the AT section between Howardsville Turnpike and Bear Spring.
I have always known this plant as Bear Corn or Squawroot, but it is also known as Cancer Root. Bears are said to eat it after they come out of hibernation, thus the name 'Bear Corn', while the name 'Squawroot' comes from its purported use as a medicine by Indians. The plant is parasitic and its suckers cause large rounded knobs on the host trees and for this reason, it is often called 'Cancer Root'.
The plant has no chlorophyll and is parasitic, needing oak trees as a host and depending on them for nourishment.
If you'd like considerably more detailed information, here is a great link with info on Conopholis americana:
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:
![2012-08-12 Jewel Weed at Rockfish Gap [KK]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8345/8221960388_1833db8ca5.jpg)
![2012-08-12 Flower at Gap 2 [KK]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8061/8221960620_86c82aef4d.jpg)
![2012-08-18 Monk's Hood 3 [KK]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8077/8327404456_e4531c5d9a.jpg)
![2012-08-18 Wild Sunflower [KK]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8364/8327400160_f5de33f605.jpg)
![2012-08-12 Jewel Weed at Rockfish Gap [KK]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8345/8221960388_1833db8ca5_n.jpg)
