Black Mountain

A grey spring day at Lake Tomahawk, Mar 22, 2024

Sunday, January 29, 2023

The flora on Mt. Mitchell

...from 2019 

We had noticed white flowers that we couldn't recognize while driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mt. Mitchell.  When we saw several of them on the walk up to the top, we took their photos, and then asked a Park Ranger what they were.  Yay, he knew!



 Snakeroot has no real petals to speak of.

 Little white blobs in a cluster with fernlike leaves is Yarrow.

 Clusters of blobs on reddish stems are Hairy Angelica

 Another trail that comes off the one going to the top of the mountain, Balsam Nature Trail, goes down through the woods.


I have taken this trail several years ago, but we elected to skip it this trip.  Another side trail along it goes to Balsam Spring, which is probably completely covered with vegetation this time of year.


It does say in one sentence that the twisted dead trunks of Frasier Fir have fallen prey to an aphid infestation. I think they sure are downplaying the infestation which is killing so many trees.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

White Wooly egg masses on tree
White woolly egg masses
Photo: Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station,
Bugwood.org
Aestivating first instars
HWA adults at the base of needles
Photo: Mark Whitmore, Cornell University
"Native to Asia, the hemlock woolly adelgid, or HWA, is an invasive, aphid-like insect that attacks North American hemlocks. HWA are very small (1.5 mm) and often hard to see, but they can be easily identified by the white woolly masses they form on the underside of branches at the base of the needles.

How HWA Damage Hemlock Trees

Juvenile HWA, known as crawlers, search for suitable sites on the host tree, usually at the base of the needles. They insert their long mouthparts and begin feeding on the tree's stored starches. HWA remain in the same spot for the rest of their lives, continually feeding and developing into adults. Their feeding severely damages the canopy of the host tree by disrupting the flow of nutrients to its twigs and needles. Tree health declines, and mortality usually occurs within 4 to 10 years.
juvenile crawler on tree branch
Close-up view of HWA ovisacs and a juvenile HWA
on a hemlock branch
Photo: Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation
and Natural Resources - Forestry, Bugwood.org
All species of hemlock are vulnerable to attack, but severe damage and death typically occurs in eastern (Tsuga canadensis) and Carolina (Tsuga caroliniana) hemlocks only..." within 4-10 years of infestation. Source: .dec.ny.gov/animals

10 comments:

  1. Hello,
    Love the view of the trail and the plants. I think the Hemlocks in my area have been sprayed, it is sad to see these lovely trees damaged. Have a great day and happy new week!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Eileen. I do hope your Hemlocks are ok. Have a great new week!

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  2. ...Woolly Adelgid is a serious problem.

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    1. It is so sad driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway and suddenly seeing a forest decimated by a tiny little bug (if that's what it is).

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  3. I love learning something new! I hadn't ever heard of Woolly Adelgid before. Bummer that it is an invasive species.

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    1. Yes, and apparently the forests in the mountains of North Carolina are the areas being decimated by it. However, I hope reforestation can happen. If there's a way to be rid of it, or have trees that aren't susceptible to it.

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  4. I never heard of Woolly Adelgid before either. So much to learn but thanks for sharing. The trail looks like a fine one to walk. Enjoy your day.

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  5. The poor hemlock. They are my favorite evergreens, so graceful. Tbe trees have had some very hard years...the ash, now the hemlock. Sad.

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  6. Yes, they have caused damage in Shenandoah National Park.

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