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Flora
& Fauna
TEHCC is blessed with some of the richest
diversity of plants and animals of any section of the
Appalachian Trail.
Much of this diversity stems from
the Roan Highlands, high mountains which are further north than
the other 6000' peaks in the
Southern Appalachians
and provide "islands" for species normally found much farther
north.
Such species are often referred to
as "northern disjunct species".
Other species can be found elsewhere
but still are noteworthy along our section.
Flowering Plants
The rare and beautiful
Gray's Lily is found in only a
few of the highest locations in the Southern Appalachians and is
at its most abundant in the grassy balds along the Trail north
of Carvers Gap and in grassy openings near the Cloudland hotel
site.
This striking, tall flower whose
bloom peaks around July 4 can reach up to 6' high with multiple
bell-shaped orange-red blossoms.
Its habitat is threatened by
encroachment of blackberries and woody plants onto the balds,
with efforts to preserve it through grazing and mowing by the
Forest Service and volunteers.
Please do not pick this flower!
If you are interested in helping in
its preservation, please contact
Judy Murray.
Did you know that not all bluets are blue?
On
Roan Mountain,
some are pink!
The
Roan
Mountain Bluet is taller than
the common mountain bluet and is on the U.S.
and
Tennessee
endangered species lists.
Like many rare plants in the Roan
Highlands, it is found most often on rocky outcrops, which
hikers should stay off despite the tempting views.
The most showy display of
Catawba Rhododendron in the
U. S.
is found atop
Roan
Mountain
in the Cloudland rhododendron gardens, and along the balds east
of Carvers Gap to Grassy Ridge.
he natural "gardens" are
world-renowned for their display, which generally peaks between
mid-June and July 4.
Weekends during that period can be
quite crowded atop the mountain, but an evening visit during the
week can provide much more solitude.
One of the great hikes in the world
is the section of the AT from Carvers Gap to Grassy Ridge during
the bloom, where
Flame Azalea
joins the rhododendron to provide memorable displays from the
grassy balds and rocky outcrops.
Many very rare plants grow on these
outcrops, so please stay on the trails.
Trees
Fraser Fir is the Southeast's only native
fir tree, ranging from the Grayson Highlands of
Virginia
to the Smokies and Great
Balsam
Mountains,
and is found nowhere else in the world.
Though plagued by the balsam woolly
adelgid and air pollution, a particularly healthy forest grows
Trail south of Carvers Gap along the crest of Roan
Mountain.
The high elevation and dense forest
make this a great hike on a hot summer day.
The more widespread Red Spruce is
often found with the Fraser Fir, and the summit of
Unaka Mountain
is
in a dense red spruce forest.
Carolina
Hemlock
is fairly common along the
Blue Ridge,
but along the Tennessee/North Carolina border it is found only
in our section.
This hemlock variety can be
distinguished from the more common Eastern hemlock by its
smaller size, longer needles, size and arrangement of its cones,
and rounder orientation around the stem.
It is found on rocky bluffs above
rivers and streams, most notably on
Cliff Ridge
above the
Nolichucky
River,
in Laurel Fork Gorge, and in Big Laurel Branch Wilderness above
Watauga
Lake.
Like the Eastern hemlock, the Carolina
hemlock is threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid, and with
its already lower population density may soon become a state
threatened and endangered species.
At Carvers Gap between the highway and back
parking area, there is a thicket of short, shrubby deciduous
trees which are found in the grassy areas atop Roan
Mountain
and on to Grassy Ridge, but nowhere else until a northbound
hiker reaches Pennsylvania.
This northern disjunct species is
the
Green Alder.
It has basically taken over the top
of Jane Bald, where it is crowding out Gray's lily, but itself
is a rare species and also harbors others such as the
Alder Flycatcher.
Birds and Reptiles
There are many different birds of prey
along the TEHCC's AT section.
Of course many common hawks and owls
can be seen and heard (and the sound of a barred owl is one of
the most startling sounds a hiker can hear in the woods), but we are
blessed with some rare ones.
In 1990 TEHCC began working with the
Forest Service on a
Bald
Eagle hacking project on
South Holston
Lake,
resulting in introduction of 30 eagles over a four year period.
While an eagle sighting is
exceedingly rare, it requires much less luck to spot an
Osprey while hiking around
Watauga
Lake.
Peregrine Falcons
are natives to the high mountain cliffs and can be seen in the
Roan Highlands.
Some of these cliffs are under
closure orders to protect their nests and hikers should comply
with such notices, you really don't need to be there and they
do.
Another northern disjunct species
which you should count yourself very lucky to hear is the
Northern Saw-Whet Owl.
This very small owl, only slightly
larger than a robin, dwells in the spruce-fir forest, and its
call has been likened to a garbage truck backing up.
A true success story in the
Southern Appalachians
is that of the Common
Raven.
As its name implies it was quite
common throughout the region, but had been reduced to only a
few, high elevation sites by the 1960's.
They can now be seen – and more
often, heard with their loud "cronk" call – throughout our
section.
Not all of our critters are universally
loved.
We have two varieties of poisonous
snakes, the Timber Rattlesnake
and the Northern
Copperhead.
The timber rattler is much more
venomous and should definitely be given a wide berth.
Fortunately, it usually announces
its presence before you get right onto it.
Copperheads don't give that warning
and a copperhead bite can be very painful (as this author can
attest) but rarely is life-threatening to a healthy individual.
Both species are found in rocky
areas and are most frequently observed during dry periods.
The best way to avoid a painful
encounter is not to put your hands or feet under rocks or logs.
Though poisonous snakes are
understandably frightening, the woods are their home.
Rattlesnake populations have
declined significantly due to habitat destruction and hunting,
and many copperheads are also killed every year, along with
non-poisonous water snakes which are often mistaken for
copperheads.
Mammals
Bobcats
are rarely seen, but their tracks are often recognizable in the
snow.
These solitary hunters, about twice
the size of a domestic cat, like rocky dens.
One came out to see us at Carvers
Gap at dusk one evening.
It looked cute until it came back
for a closer look!
The Red
Fox has had difficulty competing
with the coyote in much of its traditional range in the
farmlands, in part because they do not cope with humans as well
as the coyote with so much farmland being broken up for
development.
They do however continue to thrive
in the mountains.
We crested a knob above the Nolichucky
River
one snowy day to see a red fox in the middle of the Trail with
snow on it, one of the most memorable sights we've ever had on
the AT.
Whitetail Deer
are not as abundant in the mountains along our Trail section as
they are in
Virginia and
Pennsylvania,
but their populations are growing and they can be seen
frequently.
Deer hunting is allowed and is
common throughout almost all of our Trail section.
Hikers planning trips in the fall
are encouraged to check the hunting seasons in
Tennessee
and North
Carolina (and
Virginia
for our northernmost three miles), wear blaze orange in season,
and consider staying home or hiking in a park which does not
permit hunting on the first few days of rifle season.
The most famous four legged creature in the Appalachians is the Black Bear. Check
it out here.
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