Hickory Nut Mountain Photo Hike – May 5, 2013
After our “second winter this spring,” we gathered on Hickory Nut Mountain today for a ID & photo hike of the flora on the south slope of the mountain. The second winter had slowed the bloom of the iris and other spring bloomers, but it was a near perfect afternoon for a hike. We had seven hikers for this three mile adventure, again armed with Carl Hunter’s Wild Flowers of Arkansas book and several cameras.
After shuttling a vehicle down to the eastern end of this mountainous section, we were off on this really nice downhill hike. Despite the recent rains, the trail was not muddy, and it appeared only a small amount of rain had fallen on the mountain. We did find several old friends blooming along the trail, including the Hairy Spiderwort, Fire Pinks, and Huckleberries laden with blooms. One special find unique in this area was two blooming wild azaleas showing off their soft pick blooms just below the trail and above the almost dry Hickory Creek.
As we approached the eastern end of the trail, it was obvious the canopy over the trail had been severely reduced due to the timber harvest of last year in the area. The USFS, however, had done a great job of removing all the debris normally associated with a timber harvest; the Trail was entirely clear of any debris. We stopped for photos of the spring we believe to be artesian as the six foot wide pool at the base of a rock outcropping never seems to dry, even in July.
Hopefully, our group was able to find a couple of candidates for next year’s Master Gardener calendar.
Thanks,
Jerry