Ephemeral Wildflowers

 Trish and I have spent several days this week hiking in the Smokies along the Cataloochee Divide Trail.  We have had lovely weather with the first touch of springtime in the air and good sun each day.  It is the brief season the of spring ephemeral wildflowers, those tiny ground hugging wildflowers that come into bloom with the sun they get before they are shaded out as the leaves emerge from the trees.  They are a treasure to behold, tiny, often overlooked, a reward when you find them.

The tiny Spring Beauty is in bloom.  Its little flowers are lined with small stripes running toward the center of the bloom.  It is believed that these little stripes actually serve as guide lines for pollinating insects, directing them toward their goal.

We saw carpets of Trout Lillies, just coming into first bloom.  Their name comes from their leaf pattern seen by many as looking like the side pattern of the native brown trout found in this same part of the world.

Masses of Thyme Leaved Bluets grabbed almost every spot where obvious sunshine warmed the ground. Their tiny leaves do indeed look like thyme leaves, giving them their name.

A real treasure of the day was the discover of Trailing Arbutus in bloom.  It is so very rare to see these ground lovers in bloom.  We were thrilled by this discovery.

Every season in our mountains brings its own treasures of unique life.  We will be back to hike again in late May and by then the entire landscape, including flowers, will have changed.  Our world is truly alive, but... you have to get outside to see it!