Where the wild blooms are

By Cindy Landrum  

MARCH 13, 2011 3:31 p.m. (0)

Spring wildflowers are nature’s gift, a reward for surviving the stark gray days of winter. Starting with the emergence of spring ephemerals beginning around mid-March, moving to showy flowering trees and shrubs in May and June and ending with a wash of goldenrods and asters in September and October, wildflowers paint the landscape of the Upstate and the Carolinas. Here are some spots to consider.

Devil’s Fork State Park

Devil’s Fork State Park is one of the prime locations for one of the rarest of all spring ephemerals, the Oconee Bell. Oconee Bells are found in only seven counties in the Carolinas and Georgia. The endangered species has a solitary white to pinkish bell-shaped flower and can be found in moist woods along streams. They bloom in mid-March until early April. They can be found on the Oconee Bells Nature Trail, a 1-mile loop trail in Devil’s Fork State Park in northern Oconee County.

Station Cove Falls

In March, April and May, it is difficult to walk in Station Cove without stepping on a wildflower. The Station Cove Falls Trail begins near the Oconee Station State Historic Site off Highway 11 in Oconee County. A 60-foot waterfall at the end of the trail is a bonus for making the easy, half-mile hike. Among the wildflowers most likely to be seen are the toadshade trillium, violet, mayapple, acute-leaved hepatica and the sweet white trillium.

Pearson’s Falls

Near Saluda, N.C., Pearson’s Falls is one of the better short wildflower hikes within an hour’s drive of Greenville. The Tryon Garden Club purchased Pearson’s Falls and the surrounding glen in 1931. While wildflowers can be found from March until October, mid-April is best. The one-third mile path offers a delightful – and easy – hike to a scenic waterfall. Along the way, visitors are likely to see bloodroot, punctatum, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Solomon’s seal, foamflower, trillium, sharp-lobed hepatica, sweet Betsy and American alumroot.

Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve

While it will take about an hour and half to get to the Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve from Greenville or Spartanburg, it is well worth the trip, especially in the spring. The preserve, which is in McCormick County near Lake Thurmond in Modoc, is home to 15 rare plant species, including the Florida or Miccosukee gooseberry, a small, perennial shrub that is found only here and Lake Miccosukee in Florida and is listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The preserve, which is owned by the state Department of Natural Resources, is also home to Webster’s salamander, a secretive dark brown, zigzag-striped salamander rare in South Carolina.

Ashmore Heritage Preserve

Ashmore Heritage Preserve, off Persimmon Ridge Road between Jones Gap and Caesar’s Head state parks in Greenville County, is part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness and is a must-see in the spring. It is home to rare plants such as Indian Paint Brush, grass of Parnassus and Piedmont ragwort. It is also home to a natural bog that contains orchids, sundews and ferns. The fire-dependent, and rare, turkeybeard grows on two of its pine-dominated ridges.

Landsford Canal State Park

Not only is Landsford Canal State Park home to one of the most well-preserved remains of the canal system that made the Catawba River commercially navigable from 1820 to 1835, it is the home of one of the largest known stands of rocky shoals spider lilies in the world. The tough plants can live in swift water and cover the river in a huge blanket of white when they bloom in late May and early June. There’s an easy-to-walk trail along the river that leads to a viewing deck.

Roan Mountain

Catawba rhododendron grows abundantly on the high slopes of Roan Mountain, attracting people from all over the country during peak bloom around the third week of June. Round and Jane Balds offer wonderful views of the rhododendron as well as flame azaleas. Hikers may also see the rare Gray’s lily. For wildflower enthusiasts who want an easier trek, there’s Roan Mountain’s Rhododendron Gardens near Carver’s Gap. It is a .7-mile round trip on an easy path. An observation deck offers a breathtaking view when the rhodos are in full bloom.

Blue Ridge Parkway

The North Carolina section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is home to a wide variety of wildflowers that bloom from early spring all the way into October. The nice part is visitors don’t have to walk more than a few yards from the car. For those who want to be a bit more adventurous, there are several hikes worth the extra effort. The Price Lake trail in Julian Price Memorial Park is abundant with painted trillium the first half of May. The Tanawha trail beginning at the Linn Cove Visitor’s Center has turkeybeard and mountain laurel peaking in mid-June. In August, Frying Pan Mountain will give respite from the Upstate’s heat. Joe-Pye weed attracts hordes of butterflies and a climb up the fire tower will yield an unobstructed 360-degree view.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

More than 1,660 flowering plants are found in the park and can be found year-round. The peak of spring wildflower blooming is in mid- to late-April in the park’s lower elevations, a few weeks later at its highest. The park has 10 species of trillium. The Cove Hardwood self-guiding nature trail beginning at the Chimneys picnic area offers some of the best spring wildflower viewing in the park. The park hosts the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage each spring. This year it will be held April 26 to May 1.

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest

This old-growth forest near Robbinsville, N.C., has the Poplar Cove Loop trail, a round-trip of .75 miles. In early April, the herbaceous wildflowers are profuse. There’s a good chance to see wake robin, Canada violet, Core’s chickweed, dwarf ginseng, toothwort, large-flowered bloodwort, creeping phlox and trout lilies. Partridge berry, which doesn’t bloom until May, is a shrub that will have flowers and fruit at the same time.

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