Breaks Interstate Park Wildflower Report for 5/17/2013

Yellow Lady Slippers

Wildflowers are abounding all over the park. A wide variety can be seen on every trail in the park. Various colors of Violets, May Apple, Showy Orchids, Yellow Lady Slippers, Dwarf Crested Iris, Catawba Rhododendron are all in full bloom and showcase a spectacular display of color along our many trails and roads. Solomon Seal, False Solomon Seal and Jack in the Pulpit are also in bloom and can be seen on the Laurel Branch Trail in between the Ridge Trail and the Geological Trail.






Rattlesnake Plantain leafing out.

Rattlesnake Plantain can be seen along the Lake Trail and Cold Spring Trail and although it still has some time before coming into bloom, its’ beautiful leaves are always a treat to see poking up through the forest’s leaf litter.

There is still more to come so stay tuned. If you are in the area, be sure to stop by the park on Saturday, May 18th for National Kids to Parks Day. There will be fun for everyone!



For additional information on the flowers currently in bloom at the park, you can reach me by emailing me HERE

Albino Squirrel Takes Up Residence at Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park

Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park
Albino Squirrel by Troy Smoot

 Albinism is a genetic trait characterized by the complete or partial loss of pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes. Albinism is a trait that can be seen in any type of vertebrate.  In some species of animals albinos do not live as long as others of their kind because they are more susceptible to being eaten by a predator.

The albino squirrel that has been seen at Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park has a complete lack of pigment.  The squirrel is an Eastern Gray Squirrel.  It has been seen interacting with other squirrels.  They do not seem to notice that it is different.

Wildflowers and Birds at Lake Barkley

This is the perfect time to make your way to Lake Barkley State Resort Park.  The rain will make it's way out of western Kentucky today and the forecast for the weekend will be warm and sunny.  The flowers and birds are abundant this week too.
Wildflower highlights include Fire Pink, Lyre-leaved Sage, phlox, and columbine.

Columbine blooming in one of Lake Barkley's wildflower gardens

The Columbine is blooming in abundance in one of our wildflower beds located on the east wing of the lodge.

The symphony of birds has been outstanding this week too.  Wood Thrushes can be heard in the morning and early evening hours around the cottage loop and campground, and hummingbirds can be seen darting back and forth between feeders.  A number of warbler species  can be heard on the park too including Tennessee, Prothonatary, Black-and-White, Yellow-throated, Chats, and Northern Parulas.  Our Birding on Barkley event is sold out for Saturday but I'll post our sightings.

WILDFLOWERS: Pine Mountain SRP - May 4

Wild Geranium

At Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Pineville, the mountain hollows are abundantly adorned with wildflowers.   Among the myriad of blossoms to be viewed at this time are wild geranium, golden ragwort, dwarf larkspur, erect trillium, large-flowered trillium, yellow trillium, rue anemone, hairy buttercup, large-flowered bellwort, pennywort, violet wood-sorrel, Jacob’s ladder, purple phacelia, foamflower, stonecrop, wood vetch, wood-betony, Canada violet, arrow-leaved violet, birdfoot violet, downy wood violet, common blue violet, sweet white violet, long-spurred violet, wild ginger, little brown jug, wild ginger and star chickweed.  Pink lady's slippers have been observed flowering in certain locales and the yellow buckeye is in bloom.

In secluded coves a deep green carpet speckled with the scarlet accents of partridgeberry is eye-catching on the forest floor beneath the hemlocks. The dogwoods are at full flower and the redbuds are leafing out as their color fades.

Now is the time for wildflower photographers to flock to the mountains to capture spring greenery and blossoms in their full glory.  An abundance of water and seasonably mild temperatures with ample sunshine has goaded spring into producing some of the healthiest displays of native flora in recent years.  The time is right.  Come to the mountains and see it for yourself!

Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park's Spring Photography Weekend Results

Best in Show 2013 Jessica Evitts of Beechmont, Kentucky

Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park hosted their Spring Photography Weekend on April 19-21, 2013.  To see the rest of the contest winners click here.

Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park also hosts a Fall Photography Weekend.  It will be held October 18-20, 2013. Online registration is available at https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Parks/photography For more information about Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park's Photography Weekends call 1-800-325-1711 or click here to email the naturalist.

WILDFLOWERS: Pine Mountain SRP - April 23

Large-flowered Trillium

At Pine Mountain State Resort Park near Pineville, wildflowers continue to emerge as early season sun warms the spring woodlands.

This week's colorful display includes long-spurred violet, sweet white violet, halberd-leaved yellow violet, downy wood violet, blue violet, trailing arbutus, erect trillium, large-flowered trillium, yellow trillium, rue anemone, hairy buttercup, large-flowered bellwort, pennywort, violet wood-sorrel, blue phlox, Jacob's ladder, purple phacelia, Virginia bluebells, foamflower, stonecrop, wood vetch, wood betony, Canada violet, arrow-leaved violet, bird foot violet, golden ragwort, wild ginger and little brown jug.

In addition, lush ferns are everywhere in abundance and orchid greenery can also be observed. Among them are cranefly orchid, putty-root orchid, and rattlesnake plantain.  The silvery-green foliage of Pink Lady's Slipper has also slipped above the leaf litter.

Redbuds and dogwoods are now in full flower across the region making for spectacular spring sightseeing drives. The Cumberland Gap Parkway (Highway 25E), from Corbin to Middlesboro, is particularly lovely at this time.

Colors and sounds at Lake Barkley SRP

Pink Dogwoods in bloom around Lake Barkley lodge

This week has been a great one to get out and enjoy the sights and sounds at Lake Barkley.  The weather has been warm and the colors vibrant.  Dogwoods (including the pink ones around the lodge), redbuds and an abundance of wildflowers are colorful now.  Wildflowers in bloom include Rue Anemone, Cut-leaf Toothwort, Blue Phlox, Pennywort, bluets, Prairie Trillium, and a variety of violet species.  The Mayapple leaves have also popped up on the forest floor creating a nice green covering.

The birds have been singing up a storm this week too.  I heard an Orchard Oriole singing just outside the front desk a few days ago, and Wood Thrushes can be heard in the campground and around the cottages.  Yellow-throated Warblers, Northern Parulas, Chipping Sparrows, vireos, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers continue to be abundant around the park and can be heard near the lodge.  Prothonotary Warblers, Purple Martins, and Chimney Swifts have also returned to Lake Barkley.

If you would like to see and hear the warblers and returning migrants in western Kentucky, then join Lake Barkley and Land Between The Lakes NRA for Birding on Barkley on May 11th.  Experienced guides will take you to hot spots around Lake Barkley and Land Between The Lakes. More information can be found here

Red Hatter's Unite!!

When Red Hatter's Attack!

Fun after fifty. I like this whole thought process. Now I'm not quite there yet but none-the-less I can really embrace this concept. Having grown up in the park system I had the great fortune of interacting with many, many senior groups over the years. Some of the most interesting, amusing and just plain fun people I have ever met have been part of my senior groups I've worked with over the years. As a child, I would accompany my father to his programs and watch him tell stories and socialize with his seniors.

Serious gaming

For anyone who runs around with this sort of crowd you will know what I'm talking about when I say "penny in the pot." A simple card game that I decided to participate in one time. I couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 years old at the time, but this group encouraged me to bring down my hard earned piggy bank and join in. So I brought down my giant green Crayola piggy bank that I had put every spare coin in that I could find during those early years of my childhood. It was full to the brim with penny's. I can remember sitting down at the table. Almost like some greenhorn cowpoke sitting down to his first real hand of poker as I slide my bank in to view. Now don't get me wrong, the group I began playing with were the kindest, most patient people one could hope for. However, after about an hour or so my filled to the brim Crayola piggy bank began to take quite a hit. So much so that I decided that if I wanted to keep what little silver I had in there, I should probably retreat while I had the chance. So retreat I did, along with the $1.37 that was left in my bank. They had cleaned me out. I still tell that story to what groups I work with now days. I don't think they believe me when I tell it but it's no matter.  I'll never forget the great penny-in-the-pot incident of 1984, that and the 1984 Summer Olympics. Mary Lou Retton stole my heart that year.

Anyway, I digress. The past several years we've had the privilege to host a Red Hat Day celebration for many of the Red Hat groups in our region. you want to see people have a good time, stick your head in the Arlington room during this event and you will see some fun loving ladies. We've had scavenger hunts, homemade hat competitions, and I think most enjoyably, a live band last year. It's a chance for these ladies to meet others in the area who like to get together and have some fun, as well as get dressed up and maybe even cut a rug. (Seeing a mamba line of 30 red hatter's all decked out is a sight to behold.) But at the heart of it is the most important thing....having fun, and more importantly for everyone, having fun at a Kentucky state park.

For more information on this years Red Hat Day April 25th, check out this LINK. or can email me HERE.

Spring Wildflower Season is Underway at Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park

Wild Geranium

While on your way to Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park you will notice Eastern Redbud trees in full bloom on the roadsides.  Flowering Dogwoods are also beginning to bloom.

On the Clifty Creek Trail the following species of wildflowers were found blooming: Virginia Bluebells, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Spring Beauty, Small Flowered Bluets, Early Saxifrage, Violet Wood Sorrel, Rue Anemone, Violet sp., Cut-leaf Toothwort, Prairie Trillium  Blue Phlox, Bluets, Star Chickweed, Buttercup sp., Ragwort, and Wild Geranium.

Wildlife seen and heard while on the trail include: Yellow-shafted Flicker, Eastern Bluebird,

Nature's Spring Delicacy

In early to mid April depending on the spring temperatures, rainfall, and sunshine many Kentucky natives hit the woods in search of a spring delicacy that has been enjoyed for generations, the morel mushroom.  The morel mushroom is a sought after delight by many not just by those from Kentucky, it is featured on many cooking shows which boast its delicious flavor.

 

 There are several names morel mushrooms are known by such as:  dry land fish, johnny jump ups, and many more.  The morel is found in wooded areas in the eastern United States around tulip poplar trees, white ash,white pine, elm, sycamore, and apple trees.  After a good spring rain when temperatures range in the mid 60s to 70s, and the sun pops out...the morels
" POP UP"!

Morels can be difficult to see due to the camouflaging affect with the winters leaf coverage on the forest floor yet they do have very distinctive features.  Seasoned eagle eyed morel hunters seem to have an astute radar for locating the hard to see rascals. It takes a dedicated hunter to find these tasty delights.

Like all mushroom hunting and eating you must be very careful because there are impostures that can be deadly.  The morel, while unlike most mushrooms,  even with its distinctive characteristics you still must use caution  because there are "fake morels".


 

 All true morels must have hollow stems from the bottom to top of the inside of the mushroom.  When you slice a morel in half it should be hollow just like the picture.

The fake morels have lumpy almost brain like shapes which is not typical of a morel. They also do not have a hollow stem, they have a cottony fibrous stem.   If you look at the stem of the fake morel you can see it has almost a white pithy inside which is a big indicator that you have a fake morel and can be very dangerous if eaten.

Your state parks welcome you to visit and try to find a morel mushroom in the wild.  Observation is welcomed,  but please remember that what is on the park...stays on the park.  We want our guests to have a positive experience learning more about the natural wonders that fill our parks, so look but do not touch!  Happy hunting!  





Written by:  Kathy Myers

International Migratory Bird Day and Earth Day Service Projects at Breaks Interstate Park

Cedar Waxwing (photo courtesy of Prof. Thomas Barnes)

Breaks Park will celebrate International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) and Earth Day on April 20 with special programming, community service, and conservation activities planned throughout the day.

Birding events will begin at 8 am with a Birding Field Trip led by local birding enthusiast David Raines. The trip will begin at the Park Visitor Center, and participants will drive to a number of different areas throughout the park in search of a variety of birds.

At 6 pm, a special Birds of Prey program will be hosted by Mitch Whitaker, of the Letcher County Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Raptor Rehabilitation Program. Whitaker will have a live demonstration with an assortment of rehabilitated hawks and owls. This event will be held in the park amphitheater.

Finally, at 9 pm, Park Naturalist Jayd Raines will lead an Owl Prowl, allowing participants the opportunity to call in wild owls. The Owl Prowl will begin at the Park Visitor Center.

Earth Day events include “Cache in, Trash Out” hosted by Chuck Ratliff at

11 am,

beginning at the Park Visitor Center. Participants will be involved in both geocaching, as well as trash clean up. Other community service and park clean-up opportunities will also be available throughout the day.

For more information about these events, or to participate in a clean-up activity, contact Jayd Raines at jraines@breakspark.com.

Birding on Barkley event - May 11th

Lake Barkley State Resort Park and Land Between The Lakes NRA are pleased to again present a wildlife viewing opportunity dedicated to birding.  Experience the peak of songbird migration, as our birding guides offer identification and viewing tips and help search out prothonotaries, parulas, and pewees.  Many non-breeding warblers venture along Lake Barkley at this time, so we will keep our binoculars ready for that special life lister.  Discover birding hot spots around Lake Barkley and Land Between The Lakes by joining us on one or both of our hot spot tours.  Tours are $10/person and depart at 8a.m. to explore the northern end of Land Between The Lakes, and 1p.m. to explore the southern end.  Tour sizes will be limited to allow the best viewing opportunities, so make your reservations early by calling 270-924-2020. 

In conjunction with Birding on Barkley, Lake Barkley will be hosting Birding and Beer, an evening of bird trivia, beer, and an opportunity to meet fellow birders.  Birders and non-birders will both enjoy this event as topics will range from bird ID to birds in sports. Bird related beers will also be available for purchase during this event.   This event is free to attend, but reservations are required.  Teams can be from 2 – 8 people and prizes will be awarded to the winning team, trivia starts at 7p.m. at Lake Barkley Lodge.