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Superintendent Cash recognized for leadership by Public Lands Alliance
Last fall Great Smoky Mountains Association nominated Superintendent Cassius Cash for the Public Lands Alliance’s prestigious Agency Leadership Award. On Monday, May 24, PLA recognized him with this honor at its virtual 2021 Public Lands Alliance Partnership Awards.
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Trailside Talk: Summer Days
By Mike Hembree
The calendar will claim that summer starts June 20.
School children everywhere will claim that is wrong. And there is evidence—however anecdotal—to support their claim. Summer starts the day—no, the very hour—that the school session is over.
Summer comes early to the Smokies, too, and that might be
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Wildflowers 101: Trillium
Top: Painted trillium, Bottom: Nodding trillium
Story and images by Tom Harrington
As one gets into “wildflowering” in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, they will most likely develop some favorite wildflowers or become fascinated with certain species. One of my favorite wildflowers is trillium, of
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Image for the Asking: Little is a Relative Term
“Little” can be a relative term. For example, at an elevation of approximately 5100 feet, in the lofty vicinity of Collins Gap, small streams form on the north slope of Clingmans Dome, the highest point in all of Tennessee.
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Smokies Science Series Returns with a Spotlight on Butterflies
by Aaron Searcy, Publications Associate
Warren Bielenberg spends a lot of time photographing Southern Appalachian butterflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But he willingly admits that his journey of butterfly discovery didn’t begin in earnest until he retired from 34 years as a park ranger and began volunteering in Cades Cove
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Wildflowers 101: Berry Blooms
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. Take care not to disturb the rest of the plant, and only eat what you can identify as safe.
Story by Tom Harrington
What is your favorite jam or jelly
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The cicada-pocalypse is nigh!
By Will Kuhn
Be on the lookout for a rare natural history event that’s unfolding right now! This month through mid-July, billions of 17-year periodical cicadas are expected to emerge across a wide swath of the eastern US, including in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And it might get a little loud.
Periodical cicadas comprise a
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Sepia Tones, A New Podcast Series Exploring Black Appalachian Music
by Ted Olson
The lockdown summer of 2020 was a difficult time in the United States. The coronavirus pandemic surged, contentious election campaigns exacerbated growing political divisions, and protests of police killings brought about a national reckoning over entrenched racial and socioeconomic inequalities.
While the first two issues
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The Smokies in Your Backyard: Crested Dwarf Iris, Foam Flower, and Columbine
By Steve Kemp & Janet Rock
It’s impossible not to get excited about wildflowers at this time of year. Out of the 1,600 species of flowering plants that can found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, here are some that should thrive around your home if you reside in the Southeast, central Appalachians, and parts of the
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Mountain Time: Harvey Broome
By Arthur “Butch” McDade
In his Out Under the Sky of the Great Smokies—A Personal Journal, Harvey Broome wrote: “I have never wanted to leave the top of a mountain.” That sentiment permeated his productive life as a lawyer, hiker, conservationist, and co-founder of The Wilderness Society. A guiding principle in
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