Jones Gap State Park had a double whammy recently. First Hurricane Helene caused terrible flooding of the Middle Saluda River, moving boulders, dropping trees, causing landslides, and taking out the bridge. Then the Persimmon Ridge Fire came really close. However, fortunately plants are resilient, and we got to see a bunch of nice ones on our walk, including the park’s namesake. Thanks to Harvey Ballard for identifying the mystery white violet!

Photography by Ken Borgfeldt, Cindy Carpenter, Penny Longhurst, Jim Poling, & Joe Standaert. 

Botanical plant names seem to change almost every day, but for now we mostly use those approved by ITIS, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Plants that are non-native to North America are indicated by an asterisk (*) placed after the species name. Click on any picture to zoom & enter the slide show.