Smokies Spring

Spring has arrived in the Smokies! Yesterday I found Hepatica in bloom on a sunny hillside in the Cove Hardwood forest near the Chineytops Picnic area. I found lots of toothwort leaves, but no buds yet. I found a few spring beauties, and 1 in bloom! Today, in the Greenbriar and Ramseys Cascade area, I found the early leaves of yellow trillium. Also I found wild geranium sprouts... The sun was bright, but somewhat low in the sky (thus not too harsh) so I got some pretty nice side-lighting. I also got several landscapes of tall straight trees, hoping to return later to the same locations to repeat the landscape shots to show how the forest changes... Stay tuned for more images and stories now that spring has returned. To see some spring shots from last year (and some fall shots too), please check this link: http://www.carolwolfe.org/SmokyMountainCollection/