Wild Flower Power
Jim Parham says he is like many people when it comes to finding and appreciating the variety of flowers that can be seen on hikes or simple strolls in the North Carolina mountains.
“It’s one of the most botanically diverse regions in the temperate world,” Parham, 56, said.
Parham, a whitewater rafting outfitter in the far west reaches of the state, says he has tried to study wildflowers discovered on mountain hikes.
“I have my field guides,” he said, but still, even with photographs to compare with what he was finding, “I was trying to figure out what I was looking at.”
He says he got a little frustrated. “There’s got to be something better than this,” he thought.
The result is a new book from Milestone Press in Almond, North Carolina, titled Wildflower Walks & Hikes—North Carolina Mountains.
In it, Parham tries to offer readers an idea of what wildflowers they will find at a specific time of year on a certain trail.
“I decided I was just going to start cataloging” what could be found on easily accessible hikes. “For years I was taking lots of pictures. I was paying attention. I was figuring out where things were,” he said.
“I figured out I was not the one to write a field guide. I am not that person. But I am a trail person,” he said, and from experience he felt there was “no list of where to go to see something” in particular.
He hopes his book fills that niche.
“My goal was to get people out in the woods. They may go along saying, ‘wow, these are beautiful flowers’ without knowing what they are, and that’s OK.”
The first words of his introduction in “Wildflower Walks & Hikes” try to address the varied perspectives among lovers of mountain wildflowers.
Out in the forest, he wrote, you’re liable to run into two kinds of wildflower enthusiasts.
“In one group you might hear a conversation like this. ‘I say, that looks like a trillium erected.’ ‘I concur, I concur. Odd that it shows up under such xeric conditions.’ “Another exchange might sound like this. ‘Looky here, a stinkin’ Benjamin!’ ‘Yep, sure is. Don’t usually see them in a slick.’ Same plant, same location, and both comments indicate considerable knowledge of the forest. Most folks—and this book—fall somewhere between these two extremes.”
Why wildflowers?
These spectacular mountains are “one of the best places in the world to look at wildflowers. We’ve also got so many trails. We’ve got so much public land; so many miles of terrain,” Parham said.
The book identifies 59 walks or hikes in 11 different regional destinations, many accessible from Asheville or the Gatlinburg area.
Each specific destination entry includes a cheat sheet with excursion distance, forest type, parking options, availability of bathrooms, type of road access, directions, and GPS coordinates for the trail head.
More expensive text gives a reason for choosing that hike. For example, the books offers this:
“Most people come to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest to see the gigantic trees of the old-growth forest. They are huge—and it’s one of the best collections of big trees on the East Coast. Don’t be surprised when you see groups of visitors hugging trees; they’re trying to see how many folks it takes to link around the biggest ones. Head to the upper loop for the enormous tulip poplars. What most people don’t realize, however, is that Joyce Kilmer is an amazing example of a rich cove forest. A walk here in early spring will lead you into a dazzling display of ephemerals. Yellow violets, white bloodroot, speckled trout lily, greenish Jack-in-the-pulpit, the list goes on and on. Visit later in the year to see the fruits these plants bear. The walk concludes on the southern portion of the lower loop, where you’ll pass into an acid cove marked by stands of rosebay rhododendron.
Each entry offers guidance on what wildflower is especially appealing.
“Star Attraction—Trillium,” it notes.
“Of all the spring ephemerals at Joyce Kilmer, trillium takes center stage. At their peak the big white blooms of large-flowered trillium blanket the forest floor. You’ll see several other trillium varieties as well.”
He says the entries should “appeal to hikers and those who are driving and want to go for a walk,” Parham said.
There and back again
Each destination also includes a map to show the trail path to help visitors understand where they are going and whether it is a loop or a ‘there and back’ hike.
Parham said he hopes day visitors will find the book useful for outdoor excursions they might not otherwise feel confident attempting.
Someone can be at a hotel, resort or in a cabin, he said, and they can look at the book and determine what type hikes are nearby and how long it should take to accomplish.
“I hope people will use it to get outside and not inside. It is a hiking and walking guide, with the focus on wildflowers.”
Parham said Wildflower Walks & Hikes—North Carolina Mountains is available at regional bookstores, at provision stores like REI and Mast General Store, and amazon.com.