We never did manage to fit this field trip in with all the rain last year, but this year the weather was fantastic! Once again, the Blue Ridge Parkway Ridgeline Trail (aka the Painted Trillium trail) lived up to its reputation. Painted Trillium were everywhere! It looks like this will be a great summer for Blueberries and Blackberries too.

Botanical plant names seem to change almost every day, but for now we 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. Photography by Hugh Irwin, Penny Longhurst, & Jim Poling. Click on any picture to zoom and enter the slide show.