Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest

This field guide dedicated to wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway is an information-packed, pocket-sized book that introduces park visitors to the vibrant wildflower habitats along the Blue Ridge Parkway in a colorful and portable package. Including full-color photos and easy-to-understand descriptions, the wildflowers are arranged by color and family to aid in quick identification. With full cooperation from the park association, this book will appeal to the 16 million visitors who travel the Blue Ridge Parkway every year.

If you love waterfalls, here are some of the best hikes in the Southern Appalachians. And if you love plants--or simply would like to learn more about them--you will be in hiking heaven: naturalist Tim Spira's guidebook links waterfalls and wildflowers in a spectacularly beautiful region famous for both. Leading you to gorgeous waterfalls in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia, the book includes many hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As he surveys one of America's most biologically diverse regions, Spira introduces hikers to the "natural communities" approach for identifying and understanding plants within the context of the habitats they occupy--equipping hikers to see and interpret landscapes in a new way. Each of the 30 hikes includes: * a detailed map and GPS coordinates * a lively trail description highlighting the plants you are most likely to see, as well as birds and other animals along the way * an associated plant species list Also featured: * beautiful color photographs of 30 destination waterfalls, 125 plants, and more * detailed descriptions of 125 key plant species * 22 drawings to help identify plant structures * a glossary of botanical terms

Whether its skunk cabbage blooming in the late winter chill, columbine and phlox bursting with color in the summer heat, or witch hazel blossoms patiently waiting for the cool of late fall, the flowers of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains put on a spectacular show for all but the coldest months of the year. Whether on a dayhike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park or winding through 469 miles of mountain beauty along the Blue Ridge Parkway, appreciating the wildflowers along the way, using Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains as your guide, adds a level of enjoyment that has no price.

The stunning wildlife along the Blue Ridge Parkway attracts more than 14 million annual visitors from near and far for viewing and photographing opportunities. This information-packed, pocket-size field guide features more than 200 species of mammals, birds, insects, fish, wildflowers, mushrooms and more in a convenient, portable package. Including full-color photos and easy-to-understand descriptions, species are arranged by family to aid in quick identification. This book also includes ecosystem and geology information about the park as well as suggested nature hikes. This is the perfect nature guide for your next trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Winding over the crests and through the valleys of the southern Appalachian highlands between Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers the traveler a natural spectacle unsurpassed for complexity and grandeur. This book is a lively and compact on-the-spot guide to the region's features, geological history, and natural inhabitants--from its plants, insects, and fish to its reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals.

Acclaimed author, photographer, and North Carolina native Kevin Adams is your guide on this delightful series of colorful hikes through the Tar Heel State's high country. With lively text, beautiful photography, detailed maps, and informative wildflower profiles, this guidebook is sure to enhance and expand your appreciation of North Carolina's Appalachian landscape.

"Although this book covers a wide area of the eastern United States, it was written primarily about the flowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Shenandoah National Park. These three parks, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, form an unbroken chain of mountain forest lands extending from northern Virginia into western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. This is the "heartland" of the Southern Appalachians"--Verso of back cover.

Flowing among the beautiful mountains and valleys of Virginia and North Carolina, the 469-mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway is a true American jewel. Built to expose motorists to nature as well as to preserve its beauty, the Parkway still delivers unrivaled beauty today. Guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway is filled with information useful to those traveling the Parkway and is detailed with color photographs throughout. It highlights the many significant points of interest located on and nearby the Parkway, including Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi, Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, and Mabry Mill, one of the most photographed sites on the Parkway. Also noted are locations of overlooks, waterfalls, and tunnels as well as key entry and exit points along the Parkway. The guide features a brief history of the Parkway itself, a look at the surrounding geology and human history of the area, and an extensive wildflower bloom calendar. The book is organized mile-post to mile-post, appropriate for travelers who are driving the entire Blue Ridge Parkway or only a small section.