Asheville from Lookout Mountain
My retirement town has many great views, but the best one of downtown is from the hillside beside the UNC-A observatory on Lookout Mountain. (The campus is visible middle right). This southern-facing meadow is rich with spring flowers right now, and most of these species are to be seen in Raleigh as well.
The daisies erupt from a sea of green. This hillside gets mowed maybe once a year to keep out the trees and shrubs. So all the herbaceous plants fight it out.
The mix here is rich and includes Virginia creeper and occasionally poison ivy. It is regularly used by hikers and dog walkers.
The plants below don’t make pretty flowers, but we might remember bending the stem around and shooting their little brown fruits at each other. This is a nice stand of plantain, a highly useful herb which can make poultices and other medicinals.
Mullein plants
Mullein plants make a fine tea and don’t flower until late summer, but man, that flower is a phallic wonder! An amazingly tall green thrust cover with tiny yellow petals.
This aster has already flowered and is ready to set it’s seeds sailing in the wind. Every plant has its own rhythm.
The walk up to the view of downtown Asheville is short but strenuous, well worth the effort on an early spring morning to see the profusion of blooms.
An early feature on Raleigh spring flowers can be found here. If you haven’t done so, please check out the new book based on this blog!
The Natural History of Raleigh
The Raleigh Naturalist 
Beautiful photos! I enjoy and appreciate your site. I just bought your book at Quail Ridge. It’s so informative, and also fun to read. Thanks for writing it. I’ve lived in Cary for 33 years, and am just now learning the history of my region. I walk in Umstead a lot and would like to learn a lot more about the park. Any suggestions for a book that covers Umstead in depth? Thanks, Cheryl
Comment by Cheryl Capaldo Traylor — May 12, 2019 @ 11:32 am
Thanks, Cheryl, for the kind words and for buying my book. in the bibliography, you will find Stories in Stone, a wonderful history of the park area. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12282965-stories-in-stone
Comment by raleighnaturalist — May 12, 2019 @ 1:59 pm
Thank you.
Comment by Cheryl Capaldo Traylor — May 12, 2019 @ 2:15 pm