When a Quiet Hike Turns Golden.....

- Seasonably pleasant today in the Sequatchie Valley.....mid 70s and a breeze....

- More showers yesterday.....it has been a great spring for all flora......

- Late May until late June....prime time for the does to have their young....hopefully photos of the young deer will be posted soon....

- Attached are a few photos taken on a recent woodland hike through some of our new properties.....

- The bottom two photos are of the Mountain Laurel (Kalmia), perhaps the most beautiful of all the woodland shrubs in southeast Tennessee. Due to the recent abundant rainfall, the blooms seem to be particularly brilliant this spring. An interesting note: named for a student of Linnaeus, Peter Kalm (1716-1791), a Swedish botanist.

- During this hike along the wooded ridges on the northern periphery of our developments, the scenery wasn't too bad! Middle photos.

- The top two photos are of a local tree that I had meant to enter on earlier posts. The tree, which is not common in this area, is the Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier), sometimes called 'Sarvis' or 'Shadbush' by locals. This tree will always catch the eye of those who enjoy identifying the flora, for it produces showy clusters of white flowers prior to producing leaves. It achieves heights of up to 40'.