Sandy Rumsey
…an ordinary person
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up someplace else.” —- Yogi Berra
Spring in the south brings a dazzling display of blooms. The flowering / ornamental trees give a dramatic flair to any landscape. Corporations and residences use ornamental flowering trees in their landscapes. Several indigenous species grow wild in the forests and along our mountain trails.
I hope to be able to catalog a few of them here. Bear in mind that I need to be out with a camera ready when I spot the blooms.

Eastern Redbud
Redbud. Glorious purple-pink blossoms brighten early spring in many North American forests. Available in a range of graceful forms, redbud is adaptable to a wide spectrum of garden climates — in California it performs more dramatically than the native California redbud. Botanical name:Cercis canadensisCommon name: Eastern redbudUSDA zones: 4 to 9Size: Up to 30 feet tall; compact varieties are […]

Table Mountain Pine
Table Mountain pine, Pinus pungens, also called hickory pine, prickly pine,[1] or mountain pine, is a small pine native to the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. Pinus pungens is a tree of modest size (6–12 m), and has a rounded, irregular shape. The needles are in bundles of two, occasionally three, yellow-green to mid […]
Recent Happenings

Avery Creek: Bennet Gap Trail – Perry Cove Loop
Avery Creek: Bennet Gap Trail - Perry Cove Loop Distance: 4.2 Elevation Gain: 1119 ft. Difficulty: Moderate "If you don't know where you're going, you might end up someplace else." ---- Yogi Berra It has been such a rainy year. The trail had been scoured clean by...

Long Ridge Trail in the Green River Gamelands
"If you don't know where you're going, you might end up someplace else." ---- Yogi BerraLong Ridge - Turkey Gut Trail Loop Distance: 3.6 Miles Out and Back Elevation Gain: 472 ft. Difficulty: Easy Road Walk Whelp, we started on Long Ridge Trail and walked to the...