Pawpaw Holler Home

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

Here are some close-ups of spiderwort flowers.

This clump of Spiderwort has some extra petals –a natural hybrid?

Has anyone else seen a Spiderwort like this in the wild?

Related posts:

• East Tennessee Wildflower Of The Day: Spiderwort

Blessings,

Denese

Smooth Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)

Great Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum canaliculatum –or- Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum)

Solomon’s Seal is a common woodland wildflower found in full to part shade throughout most of North America, from Saskatchewan west to Quebec, south through Florida to New Mexico. It is called Solomon’s Seal because when the leafstalk falls off, a scar is left on the root and it resembles the official seal of King Solomon.

This graceful plant has an unbranched, arching stem with opposite leaves. The 1/2 inch long, pale-green, bell-shaped flowers appear from May-June and hang down from the leaf axils.

Smooth Solomon’s Seal grows to a height of 2-3 feet, with no more than two flowers per cluster, and the tip of the stem curves down -almost to the ground.

Great Solomon’s Seal may grow to a height of 7 feet and has 2 or more flowers per cluster.

The Great Solomon’s Seals here in the Pawpaw Holler grow to a height of 4-5 feet and the plant is a paler green than the Smooth Solomon’s Seal.

After flowering, green berries appear which turn dark blue-black in late summer and fall.

Caution: The berries of Solomon’s Seal are poisonous!

The roots of Solomon’s Seal are starchy and were used for food by the American Indians and colonists.

Solomon’s Seal may be seen along many trails in the  The Great Smoky Mountains including:

• Ace Gap (Cades Cove/Rich Mountain Rd. area)
• Cove Hardwood Self-Guided Nature Trail (Chimneys Picnic Area)
• Deep Creek (north of Bryson City. NC)
• Kanati Fork (north of Oconaluftee Visitor Center,NC)

For Great Smoky Mountains trail and wildflower information:

• Wildflower Walks in the Smokies
• Where To Look For Spring Wildflowers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Directory of Trails by Location Within Park

Learn More About Solomon’s Seal

USDA Plants Profile: Polygonatum biflorum smooth Solomon’s seal

Native Plant Database: Polygonatum biflorum -Smooth Solomon’s seal, Great Solomon’s-seal

Plants For A Future :

• Polygonatum biflorum -Small Solomon’s Seal
• Polygonatum commutatum – King Solomon’s Seal

Picture of Solomon’s Seal root

Where To Buy Solomon’s Seal

Shadeflowers.com

Sunlight Gardens

Prairie Nursery –will ship seeds internationally with minimum order of $250

Crocus –UK (different variety)

Blessings,

Denese

Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)

Spiderwort is another dainty wildflower that can be found in dappled woods, meadows and thickets in most of Eastern North America, from Maine to Minnesota and southward.

Spiderwort grows to a height of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet with blue, purple or white flowers in spring and summer. For it’s height, spiderwort’s flowers are very small –only 1 to 2 inches across. The leaves are long, pointy and folded lengthwise, forming a channel.

Spiderwort is a perennial but also self-seeds abundantly –here in the holler they come up everywhere and they’re very hard to kill (not that I try to!).

These spiderworts grow in almost full shade and the flowers are a darker blue than the ones I have in the sun. I’ve also noticed that the shaded plants don’t have as many stalks as the ones in the sun do.

White spiderwort is rare in the wild -the flowers on this plant are almost white.

Spiderwort may be seen in The Great Smoky Mountains on Ace Gap Trail (Cades Cove/Rich Mountain Rd. area).

Learn More About Spiderwort

USDA Plants Profile: Tradescantia virginiana L. Virginia spiderwort

Native Plant Database: Tradescantia virginiana L. Virginia spiderwort, Spider lily

Plants For A Future Database: Tradescantia virginiana – L. Spiderwort –propagation and cultivation info

Where To Buy Spiderwort

Enchanters Garden

Pase Seeds

Chiltern Seeds –United Kingdom

Blessings,

Denese

I have sooo many wildflower photos to share that I’ve decided to post a different one each day –hope you all like them!

Four-leaved Milkweed (Asclepias  quadrifolia)

This dainty little milkweed is found in upland forests, usually on dry, rocky slopes. Their range is from Ontario to Vermont, south to Georgia and west to Oklahoma and Kansas.

It grows 1-2 feet high and rounded clusters of pale-pink blooms appear in late spring to early summer. The leaves are in pairs, except for the middle set, which is whorl of four. The white, downy seeds are contained in 2-3 inch thin, pointy seed pods which form after blooming.

These are beautiful here in the Pawpaw Holler when they bloom and my children enjoy picking the seed pods when they start to open –the seeds float away like little parachutes! I’ll post some pictures of the seed pods later in the year.

Four-leaved milkweed can be found in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Chestnut-tops Trail (across from the “Y” at the Townsend entrance to the park).

More Information

USDA Plants Profile: Asclepias quadrifolia

Connecticut Botanical Society: Four-leaved Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia) –more images

Biodiversity of Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Asclepias quadrifolia Jacq., Four-leaf Milkweed

Plants For A Future Database: Asclepias quadrifolia –cultivation and propagation information

Where To Buy Four-leaved Milkweed

Enchanters Garden

Hydroponics Online

Blessings,

Denese

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, [and] the excellency of our God.

Isaiah 35:1-2

Blessings,

Denese

Abigail Esther : 4 lbs 11 ounces, born 6 weeks early

She couldn’t wait to get here –afraid she’d miss something!

1 month –7 pounds                    

1 year

After losing all her hair, it came back blond!

3 1/2 years

Big sister now –brother, Daniel is 2 weeks. First time she came to the hospital when he was born, “Where’s my baby?”

5 years (with Mamaw Davis)                     

7 years

9 years

12 years old!

My little itty bitty baby is growing up into a beautiful young lady!

Happy birthday my dearest Abby.

Love, Momma

Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Philippians 2: 14-15

New Mama Hen

A couple weeks ago, when we went to put the metal on the roof of our add-on, we found one of our banty hens sitting on a nest.

She had seven eggs under her – yay! We left her there, and on May 3, the eggs hatched.

Baby Chicks

On May 6, we moved our little hen and her chicks back to the chicken coop, and all were doing well -until two days ago.

Rejected

This past Monday, my children came running in the house with a baby chick -the poor little thing couldn’t hardly move! Thinking it had strayed too far from momma hen and just got cold, we put the chick in a box with a light.

After a while it perked up.

That night I put the little chick back under it’s momma, hoping she would take it back.

It was not to be. When my children went to feed yesterday, they saw momma hen peckin’ and steppin’ on the little chick –she had rejected it.

Back in the box for the poor little chick.

After it perked up again, the little chick got to cheepin’ really loud –probably because he was all alone.

The Chicken Whisperer

The constant cheeping can be rather annoying and Daniel couldn’t stand it! He sat down beside the box and started cluckin’ to that little chick – and, wouldn’t ya know, that chick quieted right down!

Daniel would quit cluckin’ and the chick would start up again.

It wasn’t long ‘til Daniel got tired of cluckin’!

The chick cheeped for a little while and when there was no answering cluck, he proceeded to hop up on the edge of the box and over to Daniel’s lap!

A Pet Chicken

Daniel couldn’t play with Legos with a chicken in his lap -so little chick went in his pocket.

It’s not picky, either –Abby will do as well as Daniel.

I was worried about the chick cheeping all night long, so, after everyone went to bed, I held the little chick until it went to sleep and then I tucked it under the feather duster we have mounted in the corner of the box.

It worked! Not a peep ‘til this morning!

So now we have a “pet” chicken…

What am I gonna do with a pet chicken?!

I guess we could ride around with it in the car, or take it shopping -like everyone else does with their itty bitty dogs. Heehee.

Related posts:

• Everybody Likes To Read At Our House
• Miss Chickee In The Lounge With The Candlestick

Denese

April Fog

Redbuds

Snow!

Snow on the Pawpaw Blooms

Dogwoods

Large Flowered Trillium

Mayapples in the Rain

Baby Carolina Wrens

Wild Miniature Irises

Mulberry Blooms

Fire Pinks

Flame Azaleas

Laurel Buds

Wild Columbine

Stonecrop

Giant Ferns

Mayapple Blooming

Ginseng

Goldenseal

Yellow Trilliums

Baby Pawpaws

My Two Blooms

Blessings,,

Denese