Pawpaw Holler Home

The flood watch has been lifted for the Smoky Mountains and surrounding areas in Tennessee but we are still under a hazardous weather outlook. Showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast for the weekend and into next week.

Smoky Mountains Forecast

Earlier today we had flooded roads all over the area, there was a power outage near Townsend and a landslide on Wears Valley Road.

A man was removed from an overturned car in Sevier County during a swift water rescue operation and authorities will resume their search in the morning for a woman who went in the river near Metcalf Bottoms picnic area in the Park.

Little River Road is closed between Townsend and Metcalf Bottoms picnic area.

Authorities continue to close roads due to floods

1 pulled to safety in Sevier County swift water rescue operation

Search underway for woman missing in Little River near Townsend

Some flood pictures:

Mountain stream river!

Our roads:

Little River in the Smoky Mountains.

Little River at the swingin’ bridge on old 73 in Townsend.

View upstream of Dark Island from the swingin’ bridge.

Downstream

At the picnic area on 321 in Townsend.

Please be safe and don’t get in the creek or river during a flood and if the water is over the road, don’t drive through it-running water is powerful enough to roll boulders down creeks, and overturn cars!

Updates:

• Travel Alert: Another Flood Watch For East Tennessee Including The Smoky Mountains
• Missing Woman In The Smoky Mountains Is Safe

Blessings,

Denese

Hello…Where am I?

Maybe if I’m real still they’ll forget about me.

I thought I’d never get away!

This salamander is an Eastern Red Spotted Newt (Red Eft) and can be found throughout the eastern United States.

This is one of more than 30 species of salamanders found in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park which, by the way, is also known as The Salamander Capital of the World.

More Information:

Notophthalmus viridescens: eastern newt

Amphibians of The Great Smoky Mountains

You might also like to see:

A Teeny Tiny Toad

Some Wee Wildlife Of The Holler

Blessings,

Denese

We’ve been walking in the woods again…most of the flowers are gone, but there are plenty of  mushrooms in all different shapes, sizes and colors!

These were the biggest mushrooms we’ve seen this year –the size of dinner plates!

Twins

Something was hungry!

We usually see these shelf-type mushrooms growing on logs, but these came out of the ground.

This one is the same type as the one above, but it looks like it’s eating a walnut.

Coral in the woods.

Related Posts:

• Mushrooms In The Mountains
• Fall Mushrooms (from my blog’s old BlogSpot site)

Blessings,

Denese

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Genesis 9: 12-17

There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.

Proverbs 30:24-28

Here are some photos of mushrooms we found this month; I tried to identify them, but most of them weren’t in my book –it’s time for a better field guide! 

These were growing in clumps on a downed oak tree.

These are  1 to 1 1/2 inches tall, coming up through moss -they were the only two that we saw.

Possibly –Coriolus Versicolor (bracket fungus, Turkey Tail)

This one was on a chunk of either cherry or oak.

We found several of these, here and there, in our turn-around.

Daniel called these “bowl mushrooms”, also growing on dead wood.

Possibly –A species of Mycena (Elf Cap)

We have several colonies of these tiny mushrooms, they come up around old oak stumps.

Hygrocybe nitida

We found these on a dry mountainside, just below a wild blueberry patch.

Hope you all enjoyed these.

Related Posts:

• Smoky Mountain Mushrooms
• Fall Mushrooms (from my blog’s old BlogSpot site)

Blessings,

Denese

On June 29 and July 2 you can become a “Citizen Scientist” and join Great Smoky Mountains National Park researchers and educators in collecting scientific data in the park.

Special High School Volunteer Day

Monday, June 29: Mapping in a Maze of Grass -10:00 am to 2:00 pm

This project will include collecting data, mapping evidence, and treating fire ant mounds. Open only to high school students and recent graduates.

Special Public Volunteer Day

Thursday, July 2: Filling in the Gaps on the Map -9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Participants will spend the day exploring the trails between the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center and Sugarlands Visitor Center and map the big trees along the way. Open to the public of any age (for those 12 years of age or younger, a parent is required to be present). Limited to 20 people, reservations required.

For more information on these events, please see The Great Smoky Mountains National Park website.

Blessings,

 Denese

These are some little critters we ran across yesterday.

Mr. Toad –just hoppin’ around.

Baby Spiders –a whole nest of them on one of my blueberry bushes.

Sssssneaky Snake –hiding in a small tree about 2 feet off the ground.

Toads and spiders and snakes…oh my!

You might also be interested in:

A Teeny Tiny Toad

Smoky Mountain Salamander: Eastern Red Spotted Newt

Blessings,

Denese

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:25

Blessings,

Denese

Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

Job 38:28

By His knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

Proverbs 3:20

Blessings,

Denese