Was up at Camp Creek Bald recently, checking on a rare plant population. This is a stretch of Appalachian Trail in nearby Greene County TN, very close to the North Carolina border.

Time was short, so we only paused a few times to enjoy the ripe autumn views. Here's a dawn look at Blackstack Cliffs.





And here are some autumnal views from Whitehouse Rocks.







Goal of the trip was to check on a tiny rare plant. Rock Harlequin (Corydalis sempervirens) is either endangered or threatened in 7 states, including here in Tennessee. We found a thriving population several years ago. But it's an annual plant - going from seed to plant to bloom to ripe seed (and dead plant) in one season. All it takes is one bad season to lose the entire population.

You'll be happy to see that the plants were thriving! There were over a dozen plants in full bloom, most also with seed pods.






Another fun & successful "plant hunt" in the East Tennessee hills. Thanks for sharing your comments!

[Bruce Clark]

Good hunting and a special little flower. TFS

[mole]

And thanks for taking time to comment!