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Big Tuni Creek along the Chunky Gal Trail Nantahala National Forest, Clay Co. |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
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Big Tuni Creek along the Chunky Gal Trail Nantahala National Forest, Clay Co. |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
| Today I made a few short explorations at several neighboring areas. This was a scouting expedition for Turtleheads along Big Tuni Creek. September 2018: |
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| Red Turtlehead, aka Mountain Turtlehead (Chelone obliqua) |
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| A few more examples growing in and along the creek: |
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| This variety of Chelone is also known as Erwin's Turtlehead. |
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| Mountain Wood Aster (Eurybia chlorolepis) |
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| One of many small cascades on Big Tuni Creek. |
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| I made a combined trail exploration and botanizing trek further up the Chunky Gal Trail as it follows Big Tuni Creek. I wasn't expecting to find much exciting blooming at that elevation in the deep woods at this time of year, and didn't, except for fungi. Early October 2018: |
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| Old concrete creek crossing for an abandoned forest road |
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| Green Reindeer Lichen (Cladonia furcata) This was considerably greener than the usual reindeer lichen/moss that I see. |
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| Cascades on Big Tuni Creek |
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| Fuzzy white fungi growing on end of a log... |
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| Green mushroom (Russula sp.) |
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| Puffball (Lycoperdon sp?) |
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| Lion's Mane Fungi (Hericium erinaceus) |
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| A large polypore, maybe Ischnoderma resinosum (?) |
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| Asters of some type. |
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| Another nice cascade on Big Tuni |
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| Smoky-eye Boulder Lichen (Porpidia albocaerulescens) |
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| For the follow-on climb along this trail to the summit of Tusquitee Bald, click here. |