So far this month, it has been a little hard to get out looking for flowers.  Here is my list, by date, for the month of March.

3/21/2012 Pennywort, Bluets, Trailing Arbutus, Redbud, Spicebush, Sarvis (Serviceberry), Golden Ragwort, Great Chickweed, Rue Anemone, Halberd-leaved Violet, Wood Vetch

3/23/2012 Sassafras, Redbud, Sarvis , Peach, Bluets, Pussytoes, Trailing Arbutus, Bear Corn, Halberd-leaved Violet, Golden Ragwort, Common Violet

3/26/2012 Halberd-leaved Violet, Bluets, Trailing Arbutus, Redbud, Sassafras, Common Violet, Wood Vetch, Sarvis, Golden Ragwort, Garlic Mustard, Bear Corn

I will try to post more photos later today.

Late March Wildflowers

The top photo is our peach tree at the west end of the dam, March 23, 2012. I would guess that someone threw out a peach pit many years ago and it sprouted. This tree blooms every year and produces fruit most years. The fruit always gets eaten by the squirrels before it gets ripe, though.

The middle photo is a sassafras tree in bloom March 23, 2012.

The bottom photo is Trailing Arbutus in bloom March 26, 2012.

Introduction to Bays Mountain Park Wildflowers

This will be a blog about the wildflowers of Bays Mountain Park and the surrounding area in northeast Tennessee. As a naturalist at Bays Mountain Park, I have a special interest in the local wildflowers. The park has a large variety of native and exotic wildflowers that bloom from about late February to early December. Over the past several years, I have been keeping track of the bloom sequences and species found in the park. This information may be useful for enthusiasts and scientists looking for particular flowers or changes in the ecology of our area. Updates to the blog will be on an irregular basis. Spring, when many of our showy flowers bloom, is also my busiest season at work. That means I may not have time to look for flowers, or I may delay posting the flowers I do see.