Meadows

Meadows attract lots of wildlife and support flora and fauna that would not be able to thrive in other habitats.  Add the sereneness and fresh air here and you will be able to return feeling refreshed and renewed.  Dividing the land are mountain streams which provide relief on a hot summer day.

As you drive throughout the area, you will see varieties of flora common to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  During the spring and summer months, fields are adorned with Black-eyed Susans, Flame Azaleas, and Mountain Laurel.   Both Rosebay and Catawba rhododendrons are common in this area.  Crested dwarf iris are blue and purple flowers with a yellow crest and are often found in large clumps. There are ten species of trillium in the area with different colors and characteristics.  One of the most common trilliums is the Great White which can be seen in shady areas.

Each spring, the park hosts the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage, a week-long festival of programs and guided walks and hikes that explore the wondrous diversity of life in the park.

Trees and shrubs bloom throughout the year. From February through April the flowers of red maples paint the mountains with a wash of brilliant red. Showy trees such as serviceberry, silverbell, flowering dogwood, redbud, Fraser magnolia, and tuliptree soon follow. Later in summer sourwood, a tree prized for the honey that bees produce from its small bell-shaped, white flowers, begins to bloom. The year ends with the yellow flowers of witch-hazel, which blooms from October through January.