Hemlock Cliffs Field TripSaturday
April 14, 2012 weather co-operated with seven SIMNA members for most of our visit to Hemlock Cliffs in Crawford County. Stopping every few feet to ooh and ahh as well as ID the many species of wildflowers blooming, we spent the first hour and a half on the upper and lower Hemlock falls trail. One of the first colorful sights was a colony of Dwarf Crested Iris. We saw several more smaller groups of this as we went along.
April 14, 2012 weather co-operated with seven SIMNA members for most of our visit to Hemlock Cliffs in Crawford County. Stopping every few feet to ooh and ahh as well as ID the many species of wildflowers blooming, we spent the first hour and a half on the upper and lower Hemlock falls trail. One of the first colorful sights was a colony of Dwarf Crested Iris. We saw several more smaller groups of this as we went along.
In my opinion the highlight of plant ID came when we spotted the globally rare and elusive French's Shooting Stars in an unreachable (thankfully) drippy, mossy, horizontal crevice next to the falling water. This plant is only found in a few isolated areas in Hoosier National and Shawnee National Forests. It is related to the Common Shooting Star, which in itself is a beauty. We needed binoculars to see the blooms, as only a person rappelling over the cliff would be able to get close to the plants.
We also saw the fiery red member of the Silene family, "Fire Pinks" or "Catchfly". They contrasted greatly with other more pastel-colored flowers. See list below for ones we positively ID-ed.
Two departed and five continued on to the Messmer Falls. Lots of Wild Stonecrop, Wild Geranium, Wood Phlox, Solomon's Seal, Solomon's Plume, Orange Dwarf Dandelion. Above the falls here you will find Mountain Laurel and a dwarf blueberry, which species, I have not learned.
Rain started in a minor way, and we donned rain gear on and off for a while. One more departed, and that left four of us to go off the beaten path to find another cliff area. We were hearing thunder, and one rather heavy, but thankfully, brief downpour made us decide to head back to the stone stairway where our descent had started. Before we headed back up the stairs, we had lunch under a rock shelf, above the creek. A nice view of the falls and Hemlocks and green everywhere provided a nice conclusion to the hike.
Wildflower list
Dwarf Crested Iris Wild GingerPartridge Berry Hepatica(not blooming)
Great Chickweed Nodding Trillium
Rue Anemone Prairie Trillium
False Rue Anemone Fire Pink
Orange Dwarf Dandelion Blue Phacellia
Ground Cedar(clubmoss) Appendaged Waterleaf
Lady Fern Pink Valerian
Rattlesnake Fern Bishops Cap
Glade Fern Wild Geranium
Christmas Fern Liverwort(in a Class with mosses)
Maidenhair Fern Wood Phlox
Smooth Yellow Violet Common Blue Violet
Cream or Pale Violet Solomon's Seal
French's Shooting Star Solomon's Plume
