The Daily Bucket is a place where we post and exchange our observations about what is happening in the natural world in our neighborhood. Birds, blooms, bugs - each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
August 2012
Clinch Mountain is in southwest Virginia near Tennessee and part of the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains.
From the WMA website:
The area is dominated by mountains rising steeply from narrow valley floors. Due to difference in elevation a unique forest had developed. Tree species from both southern and northern forests are found. Elevations range from 1600 feet to 4700 feet atop Beartown Mountain. There is considerable water on the area; a 330-acre man-made lake, one major stream and several tributaries. The land that forms Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area was virgin forest until the late 1800s. Evidence of the narrow gauge railroad used during logging can still be seen, and some of the old rail bed is now part of the management area's present road system.
Saltville is the closest town and it has
an interesting history. Most of it is about salt.
There is a great musuem that boasts a Mastadon skeleton found while mining.
Hobart Smith, an old-time musician, was from Saltville
Come along as we travel the gravel road going up the mountain.
My grandson sure had fun exploring!
There is a 300 acre impoundment lake up top. The dam you see here is maybe 50' down the lower side. Lake levels are quite low right now so the spillway was dry altho there is some flow for the stream running down the mountain. Best part of this lake it that is open for non-motorized boats only.
Didn't see any beavers but they are obviously around.
Flowers
blue lobelia
white boneset - guessing
some I do not recognize
This was all over the meadows
These green buds topped 2' stems that had leaves like a passionflower halfway up. You can see the stream in the background.
Bugs
Some bug on goldenrod. Looks like a firefly but those are not beetle wings.
Skippers on an Ironweed -- Sachem???
Red-spotted Purple - I took a lot of photographs before getting this one with open wings and in focus.
Silver-spotted Skipper on a clover
And i think this is a leafwing of some sort. The upper body was green and the inner wings orange. When closed, it looked like a leaf and was hard to zoom in.
Trees
Here's a rhododendron still in bloom. I spoted this in a small ravine off the road and climbed up to it for a shot. On the way down I slipped and fell into a batch of stinging neetles along the road just as a ranger went by. Talk about looking stupid - and hurting...
I believe this is an Umbrella Magnolia. I saw lots of magnolias but this was the only one I saw with fruits. It was maybe 100 yds away so that was pushing the limit of my camera.
Sweet birch - limited to this range of mountains and above 3000' elevation.
That's it for this quick trip to Clinch Mt. Virginia. Rainy rainy day here in Tallahassee - All that moisture sucking up from the Gulf is probably pushing all the way to the mountains. So how's things in your neck of the woods?