As I get older, one of my favorite hobbies in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia is watching the natural cycle of local wildflowers.
I’ll credit my friend Annette Tinnin and her curiosity with natural flowers as an early catalyst. From there, Emerson, Thoreau and a hundred other poets get a little credit too – not to mention the gorgeous Ironweed (more on that later).
Over the past several weeks, I’ve been riding a bike along the Virginia Creeper Trail – over 100 miles of travel in the last month alone. Along the way, I’m watching the cycle of plants along the trail and taking in all the colors and the natural fragrance of our mountain meadows.
I’ve run into a bit of puzzle though and hopefully, someone can help me solve this one. My Audubon books haven’t provided an answer and so far, I’ve not been able to find the name of this unusual reed-like plant that is blooming here in the South.
Each year, this grass-like plant tours above the local fauna with a grassy stalk that bursts into a muted purple spray of small lavendar/purple/white flowers that look more like seeds. The base of the plant is a tall stalk with elongated simple leaves and it seems to grow best near marshy creeks and rarely is seen alone. It usually appears in small clusters and easy to spot.
Anyone know the name of this regal wildflower? Here are a few pics…