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A birding event held in Waynesville attended by 11 naturalists. It was hosted by Joyce who did such a wonderful job of showing us the local plants and birds and then we partook in a potluck lunch at her beautiful home with views of Mt Pisgah and Cold Mountain
The Merlin app helped identify birds we could not see.
Along with these birds, there were plants, including a large field of Umbrella Leaf and Vasey’s Trillium.
What a great day to see the awakening of spring ephemerals! The threat of rain did not encourage 6 naturalists – the weather was cool with only an occasional mist.
There were masses of Sweet Betsy Trillium in their usual maroon dress, but there were some exceptions of tan, green and yellow. We were greeted by masses of Green and Gold plants with their yellow flowers. Foam Flowers were in various stages of developing and Mayapples carpeted the forest floor as we neared the falls. Canada and Sweet White Violets were present as was Rue Anemone. We saw a couple of Bloodroots with most of them having already gone to seed. Yellowroot with its tiny maroon flowers was in abundance in the early portion of the walk. There was also some Blue Cohosh in bloom, the Black Cohosh we found will be flowering later. We missed the flowering of Liverwort, nuts.
Read moreOn July 15, 23 naturalists visited the yet-to-be-opened Pisgah View State Park in Hominy Valley – the first state park in Buncombe County. We were led in our exploration by Jamie Cameron, the park ranger, who gave us an overview of the park and then led the group on trails up the mountain and to a nearby bog. The park opening is slated for 2025, but Jamie thought that it might take another year or two to conform to requirements for state parks.
The Park was formerly the “Pisgah View Ranch” which offered horseback riding, rental cabins, swimming pool, a tennis court, and other amenities. The biggest challenge for the 1,300 acre park is what to do with the numerous structures there, many of which are in a state of disrepair since the former facility closed. Jamie said there are volunteer opportunities to help in preparing the park for opening. We will let our members know once we have that information.
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