Meet the Natives
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to more than 1,660 kinds of flowering plants. The wildflower show begins in late winter and continues year-round, with springtime displays of trillium, lady slipper orchids and crested dwarf iris giving way to brilliant red cardinal flowers and butterfly-weed in summer, followed by monk’s hood, coneflowers and towering Joe-Pye-Weed in fall. Just to name a very, very few.The Great Smokies offers excellent birding opportunities with several high elevation species not found anywhere else in the southeastern United States. Experts say that a drive of less than an hour in these mountains is similar, ornothologically speaking, to a trip from the Georgia Piedmont all the way to New England.
Wildflower Walks
Just a tiny sampling of the wildflower varieties you’re likely to see on guided and self-guided walks throughout the Ranch and the adjoining Park. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Cardinal Flower This species blooms in late summer and early fall in wet areas and along stream banks, often attracting swallowtail butterflies. |
Small Yellow Lady’s Slipper This orchid and the more common closely related larger Yellow Lady's Slipper bloom in early summer at several locations in the park. |
Painted Trillium This striking Trillium blooms in May at several locations on the Ranch property and nearby in the park. |
Dutchman’s Breeches This beautiful and delicate flower blooms in April at numerous locations on the Ranch property, often found with the closely related Squirrel Corn. |
Trillium Sulcatum This Southern Red Trillium blooms in April and May in rich woodlands; the similar Red Trillium and Vasey's Trillium are found at numerous locations on the Ranch property. |
Birdwatching
Their diverse plant life and wide range of elevations make the Great Smokies a true birdwatcher’s paradise. Below, a few of the local inhabitants. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Rose Breasted Grosbeak This beautiful songster, who has been called the "Troubadour of the Eastern forests," breeds in summer at the Ranch. |
Scarlet Tanager This striking species breeds in summer at the Ranch. |
Chestnut-Sided Warbler This neotropical migrant is very common at the Ranch in spring, summer and early fall. |
Black Throated Blue Warbler Look for this summer breeder at the Ranch in low forest shrubbery. |
Blackburnian Warbler Many regard this species as the most striking Warbler of the Eastern United States. It is a summer breeder at the Ranch. |