Have had the opportunity to spend much time at Tennessee's newest wilderness area lately, enjoying the lush green start to summertime. Here are some random scenes, flowers, and critters, mostly from Rocky Fork.
Since my last thread was about the "queen" of the lady's slippers, let's get a look at an emperor - the Hackberry Emperor butterfly. These rather small butterflies only perch briefly, but are bold enough to perch on us, as well as on more "typical" plant perches. Their caterpillars feast on Hackberry tree leaves.
Summer's warmth and this year's abundant moisture means plenty of dragonflies. Here are a few views of a common, showy species - the 12 Spotted Skimmer. Very easy to approach, and keep returning to the same perch, so easy to photograph as well.
Rocky Fork is a great habitat for Swallowtail butterflies too - plenty of their favorite foods, plenty of sunny openings, and plenty of mineral-rich puddles. Here's a "flock" of Tiger Swallowtails puddling, and one rather faded Pipevine Swallowtail enjoying my sweaty hand!
With at least 5 species of Milkweeds, Rocky Fork is also a haven for Monarch butterflies. Here's a just-hatched Monarch caterpillar, surrounded by its favorite dinner - milkweed leaf.
Young Black Rat Snakes are hatching in good numbers. They sure look different from the adults!
How about some flowers? Here's a plant with an odd name - Daisy Fleabane. You can see where the "daisy" part comes in - they do look a lot like small daisies. But why "fleabane?" These plants were once thought to work to repel fleas! Apparently they do NOT repel our small native bees...
Yellow Wood Sorrel is a common "weed" in many lawns. Children call them "sour grass" or "sour clover," and enjoy nibbling the sour leaves. Here are two of its less common cousins - the purple wood sorrel (lower elevations) and the mountain sorrel (higher elevations). Can you see the family resemblance?
Down in the lower elevations, the Crossvines, Fire Pinks, and Tulip Poplars are pretty much past blooming. But many early-season blooms persist up in the higher, cooler places.
And the Pink Lady's Slippers are still blooming here and there...
One more odd little native orchid: It's called Puttyroot, and blooms in early summer, long after the leaves have withered away...
Yellow Flag Iris is not a native species, but is widely naturalized in our region. Makes a bright accent to the wetland areas.
I will end with a few shots of some "mini-waterfalls" along Birchfield camp branch in Rocky Fork. Hope you enjoyed this warm, wet hike, and that you will share your comments & critique!
Post #1 by mole
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