Appalachian Folk

Fall Flowers

2014-09-22T15:09:00.001-07:00

Late morning glories twine through the barn door.

Late Purple Aster or Spreading Aster

Burning Bush with Berries

Farewell Summer

Cosmos

They come up volunteer every year.

Robin's Plantain. One of the shorter of the eastern fleabanes.

Forget Me Nots

Goldenrod: Solidago altissima

Muscadines

Great Blue Lobelia

Member of the Bellflower Family

Smart Weed is sometimes used in dyes.

Thistles in the crisp fall sky.

Thistle close up


Traveler's Joy, Old Man's Beard, or Goat's Beard.


The counterpart of the Cardinal Flower.

The Orange Coneflower

Minty Fresh

2014-08-12T08:15:00.003-07:00

Bee balm or bergamot grows wild all around here. You can rub the leaves in your hair and face to help deter gnats. Some people make tea from the leaves. I love to just look at the blooms.

The English Cottage Garden: Phlox

2014-08-12T08:10:00.003-07:00

Mrs. Queen always called her bed of phlox her English Cottage Garden. She had many varieties of the fragrant flower which attracts both bees and butterflies.

Sunflowers

2014-08-12T07:59:00.001-07:00

I have always grown sunflowers in the garden mainly. This year I planted a small patch in the front yard. It has given me the opportunity to observe them a bit more closely. They actually bloom out very slowly, gradually. It takes up to two days for them to bloom completely. Bees and butterflies love them, and then in the fall, the birds get to eat the seeds. They are always a nice addition to the flowers.

Here is how they look when they first start to bloom.


This one has partially bloomed. The bees can't wait.

Mostly bloomed out

Another one almost bloomed out

Even a small group makes a stunning display.

Wild Phlox

2014-07-14T17:36:00.001-07:00

Thimble Flower

2014-07-14T17:30:00.002-07:00

We have always called them Thimble Flowers, but I think they are actually the flower of the Thimbleberry.

Chicory

2014-07-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

The chicory flower can be commonly found blooming along the roadsides in NC this time of year. Legend says that this blue flower can open doors. Used since Egyptian times for food and medicinal purposes, chicory was also used as a coffee substitute by the Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and by British troops in WWII.

Runner Beans

2014-07-10T20:34:00.002-07:00

I love to grow runner beans. I plant them on a tall trellis where they run as high as they can. The past few years, I have planted four different varieties together: the Scarlet Emperor which is solid red, Moonlight which is solid white, Sunset which is peachy white, and Painted Lady which is red and white mixed. They make great food. You shell them out, and they will keep indefinitely. They are also extremely tasty.

Green Gladiola

2014-07-10T20:27:00.001-07:00

The Prickly Poppy

2014-07-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how this little beauty came to grow in my bucket garden. I think it may have been mixed in with some marigold seeds. It is a yellow prickly poppy or Mexican poppy. The plant looks more like a thistle than a poppy until it blooms. There is also a cream and red color in this species. I'm partial to the yellow.

Butterfly Weed

2014-07-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

This gorgeous orange flower is a member of the milkweed family. Butterflies love them, hence the common name. It is also sometimes called pleurisy weed because it was used as an expectorant.

Creeping Charlie

2014-06-20T10:09:00.001-07:00

Sometimes called Ground Ivy or Catsfoot as well, this creeping variety of the mint family is not only a beautiful ground cover, but has been used for generations as a cough and cold remedy.

Fire Pink

2014-06-20T09:49:00.001-07:00

Catch Fly

2014-06-20T09:47:00.001-07:00

Maidenhair Fern

2014-06-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Newt

2014-06-16T10:28:00.001-07:00

Black Sheep of the Family

2014-06-16T10:12:00.001-07:00

Back in earlier times, the black sheep got a bad name because their wool wasn't desirable for sale. Any color sheep can produce a black offspring, but they are relatively uncommon. In ancient Ireland, they considered a black sheep a sign of good luck. Here was a flock of sheep I photographed in Balsam Grove. I think they're cute no matter what color.

Peonies

2014-06-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Henry's mother always said that the peonies wouldn't bloom unless the ants got on them. We had several beauties this year.

Buttercups

2014-05-14T17:48:00.001-07:00

When I was little, I stayed a lot at my grandmother's house just across the pasture from ours. She taught me the art of sucking the nectar out of honeysuckle blossoms, which became a favorite pastime all my life. So, naturally when I asked what the little yellow flowers lining the pasture fence were and she told me they were buttercups, I had to sneak a taste. I can tell you for sure that they didn't taste like butter. But they are lovely little perennials from the ranunculus family.

Luna Moth

2014-05-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

I spotted this luna moth hanging from an iris blade up by the barn. The adult moth only lives for less than a week. They do not have mouths. Luna moths live solely to mate and reproduce. People rarely see them because they travel at night and because of their short life cycle. The female lays 400-600 eggs on a black walnut or birch tree. Then the caterpillars hatch out. The luna moth is green throughout all stages of its metamorphosis.

George and Rebecca: Then and Now

2014-03-16T14:48:00.002-07:00

Ten Years Ago, George and Rebecca were bright and shiny. Now they are camouflaged.

Sid Barnett's Machine Shop in Pisgah Forest

2014-03-16T14:34:00.002-07:00

Once part of the hub of Pisgah Forest, this machine shop still stands right across from where Burley's store once was. It was still in operation when I was a little girl. I'm not sure when it did close down.

Relics From the Past

2014-03-01T08:20:00.002-08:00

Snow Blankets the South

2014-01-29T09:59:00.001-08:00

Overlooking the Polly Middleton Gap.

Looking down the road.

This little guy is looking forward to Spring.

Horny Head Mountain in Frosty Splendor

A Snowy Teapot

Sunrise Over the Plott Balsams

2014-01-22T10:45:00.002-08:00

This is standing outside my classroom at Smoky Mt. High looking toward Sylva.