Josh: Would I ever love that!! I drove through GSMNP back in 1958--that's all I did, drive through. My wife and I have talked about visiting the area often. If we can get free at some point in the future, expect to see me. I would love nothing more! I am going to copy this post and put it in a file.
--Gaines >-------------------------------------------- > The site is one that is well known to both ENTS and wildflower > enthusiasts: Baxter Creek (lower Big Creek, Great Smokey Mountains > NP). The site is north facing, low elevation (1700-2400), with a long > growing season, abundant rainfall, and moderate temperatures. Spring > ephemeral wildflowers generally peak from April 10-15. The forest > community is probably best described as the Low, Rich subtype of Rich > Cove Forest. Rich site species like Solidago flexicaulis, Asplenium > rhizophyllum, Dryopteris goldiana, and Trillum luteum are found in the > herb layer while yellow wood (Cledrastris kentuckea) and other rich > site tree species are present. The Greenbrier Fault and its various > siltstones, sandstones and shales runs right up Baxter Creek and Big > Branch and these parent rocks definitely contribute some calcium to > the soil, which is scarce in the Blue Ridge. It's a great site, come > down to NC sometime and let us show you around. > > Cheers, > Josh >
