What better way to spend May Day than wildflower hunting on Pisgah National Forest? We always think of the national park in the Smokies as being the go-to destination for Spring wildflowers in Western North Carolina. However, Pisgah National Forest is right up there. As you will see from the gallery below, there is quite the wide variety.

I picked two destinations in the Pisgah Ranger District: Daniel Ridge Trail following the Daniel Ridge Creek, and the Andy Cove Nature Trail at the district Visitor Center. I was not disappointed at either location. I packed a lunch and sat on a log by a waterfall on the creek to partake.

The key in your search is to keep your eye at ground level. Most of the spring ephemerals are small, and low to the ground. Some even like to hide under the leaves of other plants. There’s no need to be in a hurry. You’re likely to miss some of the best finds as you scurry on by.

I found a couple flowers that were new to me including lyreleaf sage and ground ivy. It seems each time I go wildflower hunting I am rewarded with a new treat. Enjoy the photo gallery from my adventure, and let me know which flowers you too have found in Pisgah National Forest.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

Some of the earliest wildflowers of the new season can be found on the Green River Game Lands near the North and South Carolina border. The elevation isn’t quite as high here as it is in most of the mountains of WNC, so the flowers get a little bit of a head start. Look for chickweed, rue anenome, wake robin trillium, blue and Canadian violets, robins plantain and lots of bloodroot. Several more varieties will follow in succeeding weeks, but these are the first to pop out and display their finery.

I hiked the Little Bradley Trail the afternoon of March 24, 2017. It was perfect hiking weather on a low humidity day around sixty degrees. It was also ideal for picture taking of Little Bradley Falls with a heavy overcast enabling longer exposures.

The water level in Cove Creek is still very low, especially compared to previous visits I have made there. It is readily apparent that drought conditions still exist in Western NC, so if you’re out camping please be very careful with fire.

Come along with me on this photo tour of what you can expect at Green River Game Lands in late March.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.