nature journal: cedars of lebanon state park

so stoked to catch a nice photo of this little guy.  he caught my eye while on the cub scout hike at cedars of lebanon state park.  how totally awesome is he?  i was too busy chasing him to actually hear the ranger mention his name, so i had to look it up (this is a great website that i just stumbled upon for identifying flowers and small creatures of eastern tennessee).  he's a hummingbird clearwing month, hemaris thysbe.

"cedar glades, also known as limestone glades, are open, grassy, rocky natural areas surrounded by eastern red cedar and other trees and shrubs.  such ecosystems occur primarily in middle tennessee.  plants of cedar glades must be adapted to the thin soil covering the limestone rock.  in the winter, the soil tends to be wet.  but, in summer the hot temperatures cause the soil to dry rapidly.  thus, glade plants must have some of the same ways of surviving as do desert plants." - taken from "flatrock glades, cedar glade plant guide for elementary students" put out by middle tennessee university and available at tennessee state parks with cedar glades

we went to cedars of lebanon state park with the cub scouts last year, but it was in mid-february and still too cold for the wildflowers to be out.  i meant to go back when the flowers were in bloom, but didn't get around to it.  so glad the boys returned this year.  i am in love with the delicate beauty of the wildflowers in this region.  seriously, i must make it back in a couple more weeks when they're at their peak as there are several more in the guidebook i mentioned above that weren't out yet.

nashville breadroot, pediomelum subacaule

 pale blue-eyed grass, sisyrinchium albidum

hoary puccoon, lithospermum canescens.  this was the first flower spotted on the hike, by eagle-eyed g, of course, and he correctly identified it right away with the guidebook!  a little botanist in the making.

nashville mustar, leavenworthia stylosa

 unknown (but still looking!)

yellow stargrass, hypoxis hirsuta

the rest of these were taken along the hike, but under the cover of the trees instead of exposed out in the cedar glades.  i just love new growth on baby trees.

unknown

violet wood sorrel, oxalis violaceae

cup mushroom

 unknown

unknown