Explorers Club Spring Wildflower Walk
Carol Broderson led a group of 17 explorers on an early spring, wildflower walk along the New River Trail last Saturday. Carol is a Mt. Rogers Appalachian Trail Club volunteer, and also works with the Trails to Every Classroom program.
The wooded slopes adjacent to the trail were carpeted with spring wildflowers including Blood Root, Red Trillium and Early Saxifrage.
Partial Species List:
Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
Blue Cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides
Bluets Houstonia caerulea
Columbine Aquilegia canadensis
Common Blue Violet Viola sororia
Cutleaf Toothwort Cardamine concatenata (formerly Dentaria laciniata)
Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
Early Saxifrage Saxifraga virginiensis (saxigfrage means rock breaker)
Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida
Golden Ragwort Packera aurea
Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
Recurved Buttercup Ranunculus recurvatus
Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis
Red Trillium Trillium erectum
Spring Beauty Claytonia virginica
Star Chickweed Stellaria pubera
Trout Lily Erythronium americanum
Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
Yellow Fumewort Corydalis flavula