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Wildflowers 101: White Snakeroot and Mountain Gentian
Images by Tom Harrington
Have you ever heard of “milk sickness”? What could something like that possibly have to do with wildflowers found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Read on to find out.
The first wildflower we shall examine is white snakeroot. White snakeroot generally grows from one to four
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Trailside Talk: Words from FDR
Although there are amazing places to visit along the trails of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and visual wonders deep in the backcountry, one of the most dynamic spots to put one’s feet is only a few yards from a heavily traveled roadway.
At Newfound Gap, generally considered the “center” of the Smokies, you can stand in
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Wildlife Biologist Helps Elk Return to Appalachia
By Aaron Searcy, Publications Associate
In the not-so-distant past, red wolves and bison roamed the Great Smoky Mountains, passenger pigeons flew en masse overhead, and Carolina parakeets chattered in the welcoming branches of American chestnut trees. Today, every one of those species has disappeared from the Southern Appalachian landscape &
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Teen Leaders in Conservation Head Back to School with New Perspective
By Frances Figart, Creative Services Director
Phoebe June Carnes is starting out her senior year at Swain County High School in Bryson City with a new outlook and new friends from around the region and beyond, thanks to a summer internship at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
“My favorite part of the experience was the bonds we got
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Trailside Talk: The Scoop on The Loop
by Mike Hembree
One of Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s unique features often goes unnoticed. In fact, sometimes it takes a child to point it out.
“Hey, Dad, we just drove over ourselves!” Junior might yell from the backseat.
And it’s true. The Loop Over Bridge, located on U.S. Highway 441 between the park’
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Wildflowers 101: Black-Eyed Susan and Rose Pink
Please remember that picking plants is prohibited in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but some fruits, berries, nuts, and certain mushrooms may be gathered for personal use within limits. Even some plants with traditional folk uses can have toxic properties if improperly prepared or used. Additionally, no wild mushroom should be eaten unless
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Trailside Talk: The Big Picture
By Mike Hembree
It seems safe to say that millions of photographs have been shot in the Smokies over the years—from 1950s tourists wielding those old Brownie cameras to today’s cellphones, to professional photographers hauling the very best of photographic equipment deep into the coves and high along the streams.
The results, even
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A Chance Encounter with Russula Mushrooms
Please remember that picking plants is prohibited in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but some fruits, berries, nuts, and certain mushrooms may be gathered for personal use within limits. No wild mushroom should be eaten unless its identification is certain, which usually requires an expert to determine. Many mushrooms are poisonous, some
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Podcast Series Reveals African American Influence on Southern Appalachian Music
By Frances Figart, Creative Services Director
“It’s not a Black music and it’s not a White music. It’s a music that was basically played together.”
This observation is one of many kernels of wisdom offered up by fiddler Earl White, who is Black, on a new podcast series produced in the Smokies that is helping to
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Wildflowers 101: Ironweed and Pale Jewelweed
Please remember that picking plants is prohibited in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but some fruits, berries, nuts, and certain mushrooms may be gathered for personal use within limits. Even some plants with traditional folk uses can have toxic properties if improperly prepared or used. Additionally, no wild mushroom should be eaten unless
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