Apr 15 White Oak Sinks

 

Note the barred off cave entrance

White Oak Sinks off Schoolhouse Gap Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a popular place this time of year. It would be overrun with people if it were not for the limited parking. We were able to park about a half mile up the road at 8:45am. The main parking area has room for 8 to 10 cars if they are parked creatively. The park service is not about to provide more parking since visitation impact at this fragile place is about as much as it can handle. We may have seen 40 people total during our morning here. 

It's the limestone that makes it special. Here we have a waterfall disappearing into a sinkhole. It looks like a cave opening is at the bottom, heading slightly downward. Signs posted here indicate there is a bat population that lives in the cave. 

Purple Phlox gives White Oak Sinks a purple haze appearance

We walked down one dead end path to find this grave of Abraham Law, died 1843. He is the great great great grandfather of this gal. She told us, he died during a big snowstorm and his body could not be carried out, so he was buried on the family property. 

We encountered 4 volunteers in the sinks. Last year we saw just one. The volunteers are here everyday from early April to early May, the prime bloom season. There are designated paths and if they even go near any Shooting stars, there is plastic fencing to keep you from straying. 

Long-spurred Violet

The most common violets here were the white Canada Violets and the Long-spurred Violet with its distinctive nectar spur.

The Iris displays were pretty spectacular. They form lush carpets of green and purple.

Eastern Shooting Stars are white while their northern cousins are white to magenta. We found a solitary small group hidden beside the path. 

Shooting Star from a distance

It's ugly but necessary. This area would be trampled by phone camera toting wildflower seekers. Signs here say "use your zoom". 

Bishops Cap and Phlox

I was stunned to learn this was Yellow mandarin until I learned there are two species that are both referred to as Yellow mandarin. This is Prosartes maculata and has this fabulous spotted flower. The other is the floppy pale yellow flowered Prosartes lanuginosa. Got that? 

This Showy orchis is both showy and an orchid but somehow has acquired this weird name of orchis. The genus orchis is in the Orchid (Orchidaceae) family. Any Greek scholars out there? Orchis is the Greek word for testicle. The plants have a pair of root tubers (tuberoids) which resemble testicles.