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Articles by Leonard Adkins
October’s Mountain Wildflower: Chicory
Photo Credit Joe Cook and Monica Sheppard Because it is such a common plant—often considered just a weed in its habitat along roadsides, in waste places, and in open fields—chicory (Cichorium intybus) is easy to overlook. Yet, of the plants found in our area, its flower possesses a blue of the clearest kind.
25 Years of Rhythm and Roots at the Birthplace of Country Music
Written By Joshua Moore / Photos Courtesy of Joshua Moore Over time, it has grown into a gathering known far beyond the region, bringing generations of musicians, storytellers, and artisans to a region so fertile in musical history that one root had to sprout and spread. It branched out into a forest of traditions, stories, and melodies that continues to flourish each year.
September’s Mountain Wildflower: Ghost Pipe
Photo Credit Joe Cook and Monica Sheppard From June into September (and sometimes even into October), search out and stop to study the unique ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora), which grows in heavily shaded areas. Containing no chlorophyll (the substance that gives plants their green color), this plant rises from the soil on translucent, waxy-looking stems, and the pinkish-white flower nods back toward the ground, giving the whole plant the appearance of a fancily carved soapstone pipe.
The Trail to Travelers Rest
By Leonard M. Adkins / Photos courtesy of Leonard M. and Laurie Adkins / Photo Above: Swan Lake was one of the first features built on Furman’s current campus in the mid-1950s. The Swamp Rabbit Trail connects Greenville, South Carolina, with its neighboring town, Travelers Rest, and several years ago Laurie and I walked a portion of its southern end near Greenville.
August’s Mountain Wildflower: Trumpet Honeysuckle
Photo Credit Joe Cook The trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a hard flower to miss, its whorl of long floral tubes, bright red on the outside and yellow on the inside, loudly proclaiming their presence against the background of the vine’s rich green leaves. Like spotted jewelweed and trumpet tine, the flower’s deep throat and red color make it attractive to ruby-throated hummingbirds, who are its main pollinators.
July’s Mountain Wildflower: Oxeye Daisy
Photo Credit Joe Cook and Monica Sheppard The oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) did not exist in North America until the early settlers began arriving from Europe. Its seeds were probably imported when they were inadvertently included in shipments of crop seeds or in the fodder used to feed livestock on the long ocean voyages from the Old World. Once here, it did not take the plant long to spread across the land, often overtaking open fields and garden lands.
June’s Mountain Wildflower: Mountain Laurel
Photo Credit Leonard M. Adkins Take a look at the individual blossoms of the mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and you will find a most ingenious pollination mechanism. The five petals (each with two small notches) are connected together to form a shallow bowl. The 10 stamens growing from the center of the petals are tucked inside the notches. A single pistil rises to the outside of the petals. When an insect visitor (usually a bee) arrives to gather nectar, it brushes against the bent-over stamens.
May’s Mountain Wildflower: Mayapple
Photo Credit Joe Cook and Monica Sheppard Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) can make its appearance as early as March, about the same time bloodroot is blooming. Wrapped tightly around the stem when the plant is pushing its way out of the ground, the umbrella-like leaves soon open up to form huge carpets spreading out across much of the forest floor.
April’s Wild Edible: Wild Garlic
Photo above: Wild garlic growing in Fayette County, West Virginia. Photo credit: Courtesy of Mitchell Dech “Wild garlic seems to be an underused but common edible, available from winter through May,” he told me. “These chive-like plants are easy to spot because they are taller than surrounding grass. They grow in both disturbed soil and woodlands, as well as lawns. “You can grab a handful of the leaves and cut them with scissors, then use them in a soup, stir fry or omelet.
Walking Oklawaha Greenway
By Leonard M. Adkins | Photos by Leonard M. and Laurie Adkins Returning home from a midwinter hiking trip to the Deep South, Laurie and I decided to spend the night at the Waverly Inn (waverlyinn.com) in Hendersonville, North Carolina, rather than continue driving in the dark. It’s just minutes away from the city’s amazingly alive downtown, with close to two dozen restaurants located on a few short blocks. We split a satisfying roasted vegetable pizza at busy Mezzaluna on Main Street.
April’s Mountain Wildflower: Trout Lily
Photo Above: Credit Joe Cook and Monica Sheppard Like its western relative the glacier lily (Erythronium grandiflorum), trout lily (Erythronium americanum) is often found pushing its way through a blanket of snow in early spring. It closes up each night to protect its inner parts from the cool air and chilly winds present at that time of year. As dawn’s sunlight creeps across the mountainsides, the petals and sepals begin to move, eventually curving backward to greet the day.
March's Mountain Wildflower: Rue Anemone
A member of the buttercup family and found in the open woodlands, rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) has long, thin stems that tremble in the slightest of winds—prompting its other common name, windflower. Drawing upon this characteristic, its genus name honors the Greek god of wind, Anemos, who used the flowers as harbingers of spring.
Kentucky’s Bad Branch Falls: A (Fairly) Tame Trek Through the Forest
You’ll know the impressive 60-foot cascade is near when the path turns rugged. The walk to Bad Branch Falls in eastern Kentucky is a moderate one. Sort of. Bad Branch originates on the south side of Pine Mountain and within several miles descends nearly 1,000 feet before meeting the Poor Fork of the Cumberland River. Its steepest portion is where it flows through Bad Branch Gorge. Gradually ascending along the stream, we came into a grove of hemlock trees.
Chattanooga's Lookout Mountain: Spectacular Views and Civil War Echoes
A moderate 3.5-mile walk on Lookout Mountain delivers a healthy dose of delightful scenery and American history. The plan was to be on Lookout Mountain in time to watch the sun rise over Chattanooga and the Moccasin Bend of the Tennessee River. An early morning traffic jam prevented us from experiencing the event, and a bit of haze had settled in by the time we arrived, yet we were still able to enjoy the expansive view from Point Park on the mountain’s northern end.
Blairsville's Meeks Park: Wandering a Well-Tended Gem
This bustling North Georgia green space offers nearly 5 miles of well-kept trails, waterfront views and abundant amenities for both recreation and relaxation. Oh, what a pleasure it is to visit a park and find it to be what a public facility should be (in this case, a county park).
October's Mountain Wildflower: Butter-and-Eggs
Originally a native of Asia, butter-and-eggs (Linaria vulgaris) was introduced into the United States by way of Europe and can now be found in temperate zones throughout the world. Its success at propagating itself can be traced to a number of factors. Its orange color attracts many insects, especially those bumblebees and honeybees that are strong enough to open the flower’s lip and are large enough to reach inside the tube to obtain the nectar.
South Charleston, WV: Rediscovering a Childhood Park
In South Charleston, West Virginia, our intrepid walker returns to an area where he lived for 30 years for a pleasant stroll and an unexpected soapbox derby event. I’ve often thought of Little Creek Park in South Charleston, West Virginia, as an overlooked destination for outdoor recreation in the Mountain State.
September's Mountain Wildflower: Spotted Jewelweed
Because they tend to favor the same environment, spotted jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) and stinging nettle are often found growing side by side in large patches lining a hiking trail. Brushing up against the stinging nettle will give its tiny, stiff hairs an opportunity to scratch your skin and deposit an irritant that will often itch for the rest of the day. One experience of this kind will keep you on the watch for the nettle.
Rediscovering a Childhood Park
In South Charleston, West Virginia, our intrepid walker returns to an area where he lived for 30 years for a pleasant stroll and an unexpected soapbox derby event. I’ve often thought of Little Creek Park in South Charleston, West Virginia, as an overlooked destination for outdoor recreation in the Mountain State.
Seneca Adventure Trail
Originally built for a high-school cross country team, the woodsy walk offers an even treadway and delightful doses of nature. Laurie and I had finished a walk at Stumphouse Park (Good Walk column, Jan/Feb ‘24) outside of Walhalla, South Carolina, much earlier than we had expected. This gave us several hours before we were to meet friends for dinner in nearby Seneca.
August's Mountain Wildflower: Turk’s Cap Lily
In a season where many of the wildflowers tend to be the daisies, asters and goldenrods of the open meadows, it is always a surprise and pleasure to come across the tall and showy Turk’s cap lily (Lilium superbum) rising from the rich soil and into the deep shade of a cove hardwood forest.
July's Mountain Wildflower: Columbine
When the sun shines on columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis) flowers at just the right angle, they can take on the appearance of interestingly-shaped Japanese lanterns. Swaying to soft mountain breezes, the fine texture of the blossoms seems to soak up the light, causing them to become almost luminescent and looking as if they are constructed of the finest of rice papers that is saturated with rich, hand painted water colors. Look closely at the spurs and you may see tiny holes in the tips.
June's Mountain Wildflower: Catawba Rhododendron
If there are any two plants that define the beauty, abundance and impressive array of wildflowers found along the Blue Ridge Mountains they would have to be the mountain laurel and rhododendron. Both grow in thickets so dense they can nearly cover entire mountainsides, and indeed they do blanket summits in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Seneca, South Carolina: 2.3 Easy Miles Adventure Trail
Originally built for a high-school cross country team, the woodsy walk offers an even treadway and delightful doses of nature. Laurie and I had finished a walk at Stumphouse Park (Good Walk column, Jan/Feb ‘24) outside of Walhalla, South Carolina, much earlier than we had expected. This gave us several hours before we were to meet friends for dinner in nearby Seneca.
May's Mountain Wildflower: Smooth Solomon's Seal
Some reference books place the smooth Solomon’s seals (Polygonatum biflorum) within the green flower category, some within the yellow, and others among the plants that have white flowers. Truth be told, the Solomon’s seals belong in all three groupings. As the flowers emerge they definitely have a greenish tinge to them, which becomes a greenish yellow as they develop. At maturity, the color will have faded to a greenish white.
Roanoke, Virginia: Mill Mountain and Downtown
The bounty of trails on Roanoke’s own mountain combine with the Roanoke River Greenway and downtown to create a fine walk. Roanoke, Virginia, was continuing to create an extensive greenway system and actively rehabilitating old pathways and creating new ones on public lands when Laurie and I moved away more than a decade ago.
Early springtime drives on an otherwise dull and monotonous four-lane highway can be transformed into wondrous trips by hillsides covered with splashes of white serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) flowers. Within a week or two, the clusters are accentuated and highlighted by the rich purple blossoms covering nearly every inch of neighboring redbud trees. Some people may say that, strictly speaking, trees and shrubs should not be included in a guide to wildflowers.
March's Mountain Wildflower: Bloodroot
One of the pleasures of a late winter/early spring walk in the woods is spying the tightly-wound green leaf of a bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis) plant pushing its way through the frost-encrusted soil. It must endure the cold temperatures of this time of year so the leaves stay curled around the stems to conserve warmth and do not fully expand until pollination occurs.
Roanoke, Virginia: Mill Mountain and Downtown
The bounty of trails on Roanoke’s own mountain combine with the Roanoke River Greenway and downtown to create a fine walk. Roanoke, Virginia, was continuing to create an extensive greenway system and actively rehabilitating old pathways and creating new ones on public lands when Laurie and I moved away more than a decade ago.
Granite City Greenway
Mount Airy, North Carolina’s 8-mile riverside trail is a delight in many contexts, including fishing and jumping in. Surry County, North Carolina, has an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities: Five hundred miles of designated bicycle routes, four rivers with 100 miles of renowned kayaking and canoeing, 36 miles of stocked trout streams and more than two dozen miles of hiking trails in Mount Pilot State Park.
October's Mountain Wildflower: Black-eyed Susan
Lightly run your fingers up and down the stem of a black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and you will feel the small barbs that the plant has developed through evolution to keep unwanted insects and other creatures from crawling up and stealing its abundant nectar and pollen. The plant does reward flying visitors who possess tongues long enough to reach inside the florets to sip the nectar, while those with short tongues may access the yellow pollen.
September's Mountain Wildflower: Yellow-fringed Orchid
Once you spot the yellow-fringed orchids (Habenaria ciliaris) as you struggle up a steep slope while hiking during the heat of a September afternoon, you may wish you had never seen them. Their milky orange-yellow flowers may make your mouth water, as they can’t help but remind you of what a treat a Creamsicle—that refreshingly frozen treat of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream—would be for your sweating body.
Walking Fort Mountain State Park
The expertise and work of the Civilian Conservation Corps is abundantly evident in walking this 4,058-acre park. It has been more than eight decades since President Franklin Roosevelt’s nationwide Great Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program came to an end. Although the corps lasted just a little more than nine years (1933-1942), you and I are still reaping the rewards of the hard work that the young men enrolled in this program performed.
August's Mountain Wildflower: Cardinal Flower
Found in the same type of habitat as bee balm (Monarda didyma)—moist areas and along water runs—cardinal flower is not named for the state bird of Virginia and West Virginia, but rather for the color of vestments worn by cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. The genus name of Lobelia honors a Flemish herbalist who was the personal physician of James I of England. It’s a plant that perfectly illustrates that the web of life is an amazing thing that seems to have no end to its number of strands.
July's Mountain Wildflower: Bee Balm
Bee balm is an inhabitant of moist areas in woodlands and beside streams, ponds and lakes where it is often seen growing close to cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). The rich, scarlet red of both blossoms, which last throughout much of the summer, attract ruby-throated hummingbirds, the only hummingbirds found within our Blue Ridge region.
South Carolina Botanical Garden: A Whole State on 295 Acres
Located at Clemson University, the gardens offer easy walking amid plantings and habitats from all across the Palmetto State. “I know we’re hungry, but come on, we can do this. How long can it take to do an easy one-mile roundtrip walk?” It’s well past noon, hours after an early breakfast, and we are in Clemson’s South Carolina Botanical Garden, and I have just talked Laurie into taking what I believed would be a quick walk.
June's Mountain Wildflower: Wild Geranium
The ingenuities of nature are seemingly infinite. Take a close look at the petals of a wild geranium flower and you will see dark blue lines leading from the outer edge to the center of the blossom. If you were a bee with its ability to see ultraviolet light, the lines would be more pronounced and act like guides, directing you to land on the plant’s reproductive parts, deposit the pollen you picked up from the previous plant you visited, and help insure the propagation of the species.
May's Mountain Wildflower: Bear Corn
Bear Corn’s odd look has people often mistaking it for a mushroom or some other type of fungus. However, it is a member of the Broomrape family, low-growing, fleshy-looking, herbaceous plants that obtain nourishment by being parasites upon other plants. It produces no chlorophyll—the matter which gives plants their green color—so its entire stem is sort of a yellowish brown. You may have to get down on your knees to really appreciate its minute parts.
Waynesboro, Virginia: Easy Walk with Art Show Preview
The South River Greenway offers an easy walk along its namesake river. And before you start, feast your eyes on award-winning mural artworks. Even from afar, she was imposing. And she changed the course of our day. (“Kaiya with Tulips” mural.) Laurie and I arrived in Waynesboro, Virginia, early in the day for an author’s event that evening sponsored by Mary Froehlich of the city’s Stone Soup Books. With hours of free time ahead of us, we started a walk along the two-mile South River Greenway.
April's Mountain Wildflower: Dutchman’s Breeches
Looking like freshly laundered and starched pants that have been hung out to dry, the blossoms of the Dutchman’s Breeches sway back and forth in response to the slightest of breezes. Each flower lasts just a few days and the plant stops blossoming once the forest canopy blocks the full sunlight. In fact, by mid-summer even the leaves will have disappeared and it may be hard to find any trace that it ever existed.
Whitesburg, Kentucky: Walking the Old L&N
The paved Tanglewood Trail offers just over four miles of level and enjoyable walking with touches of history and friendliness. I was born and raised in the mouth of Hazard hollow Coal cars roaring and rumbling past my door Now they’re standing rusty rolling empty And the L&N don’t stop here anymore Jean Ritchie sang about the downturn in the coal industry, the demise of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and the economic hardships they caused in eastern Kentucky in the 1960s.
March's Mountain Wildflower: Skunk Cabbage
It is early March, and the floral season has already begun. Actually, it may have begun sometime back in February. Wrapping around themselves like a pair of cupped hands, the mottled leaves of the Skunk Cabbage create a hood, protecting a spike of tiny yellow flowers. Because it blooms when snow is still on the ground, the plant has developed a mechanism to withstand the cold. By burning carbohydrates stored in its roots, it is capable of generating its own heat.
Stumphouse Tunnel: A Tunnel, A Falls and History
This South Carolina mountain walk is the result of an effort of save the land for public use. Area residents reacted quickly, and in numbers, in 2007 when it was learned that Walhalla, South Carolina, was going to sell a beloved Stumphouse Mountain recreation site to a developer for a gated housing community.
A North Georgia 2.5-Mile Stroll: Leisurely Lake Nottely
The walk is relatively flat, and occasionally takes you up-close with an 80-year-old TVA impoundment. With Laurie having dislodged a temporary tooth crown, we pulled into the parking lot of Smile Blue Ridge (Georgia). We were greeted by an imposing 12-foot statute wearing what resembled blue medical scrubs, a wide grin spread across a bearded face and a giant toothbrush held in front of him.
Jonesborough, Tennessee: 'The Good Walk' Defined?
The East Tennessee town’s Lost State Scenic Walkway offers tastes of urban, natural, historic, culinary and more.
A North Carolina Summer Gem: Walking Lake James State Park
"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken." — James Dent James Dent was a columnist for the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette, where I grew up. I’ve always thought he came up with a great definition, but have wanted to expand it to include “and there is the chance to do a walk, have a picnic and take a swim.” And it was this idea that took Laurie and me to North Carolina’s Lake James State Park.
Hidden Valley, Virginia: An Easy 4.3 Miles through 'History'
The site of much of the filming of the 1993 movie, “Sommersby,” provides a delightful walk and an inviting stay. I was awakened by the tantalizing aroma of breakfast cooking. As slumber receded, I remembered that we had arrived at Warwick Mansion in Hidden Valley, Virginia, the afternoon before.
A Foot Each in Two States: Easy, Historic Walk at Cumberland Gap
The feel of many histories is palpable on this moderate three-mile trek, including a section restored to evoke the times of Daniel Boone. In my travels I have been in two states at once on numerous occasions. On Peters Mountain on the Appalachian Trail, I walked with one foot in Virginia and one in West Virginia. Farther north on the trail, I did the same with New Jersey and New York. Standing in the middle of the main street in Bristol, I was in Tennessee while I was also in Virginia.
Upcountry South Carolina: Kings Mountain National Military Park’s Easy Loop
The pervasive presence of information on this part of the American Revolution makes the distance seem even shorter. In the ever-present quest to collect visitor stamps in her National Parks Passport book, Laurie detoured us off 1-85 for a walk in Kings Mountain National Military Park in UpCountry South Carolina. After a stop at the visitor center to watch the introductory film and orient ourselves to the layout of the park, we ascended along the 1.5-mile loop trail to the top of the mountain.
Erwin, Tennessee: Linear Trail Belies its Urban Setting
The 4.25-mile trail is not far from an Interstate highway, yet offers ample wildlife, ponds and even scenic views. The section of the Linear Trail that could most easily be seen as we exited I-26 into Erwin, Tennessee, looked like a typical city sidewalk, making us wonder how scenic the outing would be.
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