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Mandarin Coves and Adjacent Cliffs Southern Nantahala Wilderness - Late April 2021 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021) |
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Mandarin Coves and Adjacent Cliffs Southern Nantahala Wilderness - Late April 2021 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021) |
| The main focus of this exploration was Eastern Columbine, and I found more plants in bloom than I'd ever seen up there, with hundreds of flowers. I also visited the two Mandarin Coves below the cliffs. I was disappointed ("mad" would be a better word) to see that wild hogs had devastated one of the cove areas, which had avoided destruction by these feral terrorists in the past. |
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| Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) These were in full bloom along the way as I climbed the mountain. |
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| Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) I only photographed a couple of these, since I had shot so many two weeks prior. |
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| Tiny flower of the Eastern Green Violet (Cubelium concolor) |
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| Vasey's Trillium (Trillium vaseyi) I didn't shoot many images of the various Mandarins, Trilliums, Mayapples, Cohosh, Bellworts, etc. that grow here in the Coves, because I have documented those species well in prior years. |
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| Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) |
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| Eastern Red Columbine While not rare, this species is uncommon here, and only found in very specific environments. |
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| Eastern Red Columbine - from below... I was pleased with how this unusual view came out. |
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| A typical Eastern Red Columbine plant |
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| Typical habitat of Eastern Red Columbine Here it grows on wet, cliffy slopes at high elevation. There is a thin fragile layer of soil that barely clings to the steep rock surfaces. |
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| Eastern Red Columbine |
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| One final example - Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) |
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| Blue Ridge Bittercress (Cardamine flagellifera) or possibly, Mountain Bittercress (C. clematitis) These two uncommon species were recently split off from each other.. |
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| New leaves of the Yellowwood tree (Cladrastis kentukea) I hope to find one of these trees in bloom some day... |
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| Another Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) |
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| Smooth Rockcress (Boechera laevigata) I was later than usual getting up the the cliffs this year, and the plant had already flowered and put out its siliques (seed pods). |
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| Umbrella Leaf (Diphylleia cymosa) These were just coming into bloom and I only found a few with any open flowers. |
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| Canada Violet (Viola canadensis) |
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| Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule), with last year's seed pod in the background. |
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| Another, paler Pink Lady's Slipper Rich coves aren't prime Lady's Slipper territory, but I always find a few on my way up there. |
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| More Flame Azalea on my way down the mountain. |