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On Tuesday March 26, 8 intrepid hikers braved the weather to view the spring ephemerals at Twin Bridges led by Randy Richardson. The following Thursday, 17 naturalists followed the wildflower path to Melrose Falls accompanied by Paul Fredrickson. On the trek we saw lots of blooming Trillium, Purple Phacilia, Blue Cohosh, Violets of a few varieties, Yellow Mandarin and the stunning Large-flowered Bellwort.
Read moreOn Wednesday, October 18, a total of 18 BRNN members made the trip to view waterfalls and fall tree colors. The weather was perfect. The trees were in their autumnal best and, as always, the attendees were enthusiastic.
The first waterfall walk was the Cove Creek trail on FS 475 by the Pisgah fish hatchery. We crossed the newly constructed bridge over Cove Creek and passed cascades that included deep pools best enjoyed in the summer.
After a mile walk on the trail we descended to the base of Cove Creek Falls. The water flow was a less than normal, but still was a great show which included a few rapellers (not from our group).
Lunch was enjoyed on the rocks at the base of the waterfall.
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Eleven BRNN members joined US Forest Service Botanist Gary Kauffman and his intern for an expedition to Linville Gorge to see the interesting and rare plants found there. Our group travelled south from the Table Rock trailhead towards the Chimneys and learned about a remarkable variety of plants along the way. Some highlights along this stretch included Carolina lilies, starry campion, Table Mountain pine, wild lily of the valley, witch hazel, fothergilla, sand myrtle, and some interesting fungi, mosses and lichens. At the end of the trail with a bit of clambering we saw the stars of the show, the rare Hudsonia montana and Liatris helleri. But the plants weren’t the only attraction; we were treated to amazing views of Linville Gorge and some fascinating Quartzite rock outcrops.
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