In any part of the United States spring and summer are blooming beautifully with a wide array of different varieties, and colors, of wildflowers. The part of the United States that is more beautiful than any other is The Great Smoky Mountains located in a quiet spot in eastern Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known, world-wide, for its wide variety of wildflowers. In fact, there are over 1,660 kinds of gorgeous flowering plants that can be found in the park. With so many different varieties of wildflowers the park is sometimes referred to the “Wildflower National Park.” Beautiful, blooming flowers can be found in the park year-round.
From hepaticas and vibrant spring flowers to the last asters that are blooming in the late fall. With so many different kinds and colors of wildflowers the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has more wildflowers than any other North American national park. In the late winter and early spring the Ephemerals start to appear above the ground and this marks the beginning of a beautiful showcase of flowers that are only going to become more colorful as the seasons go by. These Ephemerals bloom, fruit and them die within a short two month time period. Typical time for these flowers to bloom is February through April and they are typically gone by May or June. In early May and on into June the pink and white flowers of mountain laurel bloom.
After the blooming of the Ephemerals the peak of wildflower season begins and full-blast blooming starts are mid-to-late April and the lower elevations in the area and blooming occurs a few weeks later on the highest peaks. Blooming spring flowers include ten different species of trillium, lady slipper orchids, showy orchids, crested dwarf iris, fire pink, columbine, bleeding heart, phacelia, jack-in-the-pulpit, little brown jugs, and violets, but that is only to name a few. In fact, these flowers are so beautiful that each spring the park hosts the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage. This event is a week long event that is packed full of programs and guided walks and hikes that explore the diverse wildflower life inside the national park.
As spring comes to an end and summer slowly begins red cardinal flowers, pink turtleheads, Turk’s cap lily, purple-fringed orchids, bee-balm, butterfly-weed, black-eyes susans, and jewel weed start to bloom and bring more vibrant colors to the area. You may think that as the summer ends the blooming flowers are going to stop when the leaves start to change in the fall, but that is not true. By late summer and early fall the goldenrods, sunflowers, tall ironweed, mountain gentian, monk’s hood, coneflowers and asters begin to bloom as the area stays colorful. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for his wide variety of colorful wildflowers that bloom year-round. During the spring and summer even the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee come to life with the different selections of wildflowers to the area. Make plans for your next vacation in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to view the beautiful displays of flowers blooming in the area.
What is blooming. When is mountain laurel expected to bloom. We want to come for the flowers