ENTS,

Over the last month with many of us discussing boreal forests in the Appalachians, Europe and Canada I felt a little photographic tour of the highlands of North Carolina would be fitting. I have took these over the last 5 years at places like Richland Balsam, Devil's Courthouse, Waterrock Knob, The Mountains-to-Sea trail on the Pisgah Ridge, Craggy Gardens and The Black Mountains Crest ( Deep Gap ) trail, which is the highest hike east of the rockies and Flat Laurel Creek, near Sam's Knob. These forests are beyond words but beautiful is the best I can come up with. I have also downloaded a picture taken from the Mountains-To-Sea trail overlooking the Blue Ridge Parkway which I have uploaded to the file page of our ENTStrees Google website.

The Black Mountains Crest ( Deep Gap ) trail

Craggy Gardens

Devil's Courthouse

Flat Laurel Creek, near Sam's Knob

The Mountains-to-Sea trail on the Pisgah Ridge

Richland Balsam

Waterrock Knob

Devil's Courthouse

Can anyone tell me what these pretty blue flowers are and the colorful leaves?

[Jess Riddle wrote: The flowers are a bluet, probably Houstonia serpyllifolia, and the leaves are witch-hobble (Viburnum lantanoides [formerly V. alnifolium]). ]

James Parton