White Thistle!?!

Am I crazy or is there no such thing as white thistle? I have only ever seen the purple thistle flowers in my life and today when I was hiking, high up on top a ridge I wondered over to a patch of Queen Ann's Lace (wild carrot) mixed in with butterfly covered thistle. Thing is, what I thought at first was the white of the thistle when the purple flower finishes and turns white-n- fuzzy, so it's seeds can take flight.... suddenly transformed in front my eyes when I realized the actual flowers were WHITE!
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Now.... see this pic below! That is the color thistle always is - (and that is what was growing all round the field....)

This white thistle was a loner. A rebel. Bugs were not even on it. It stood alone in it's rare majesty. I saw no other white thistle around.

I took three small seed heads with me in a baggie I had in my backpack - I would love to plant them and see if more white thistle will grow!

Tell me --- have any of ya'll ever seen white thistle (in any location, smokey mountains or otherwise?)

Xoxoxo

TALL Orange Wildflower With Dark Brown Dots (Help Me ID!)

What is it? This plant I found near my cabin is awesome! At least 5-6 ft. tall!!! One big flower grows on the end of the long stem....

The steman (dingies in the middle) pertrudes far out the center of the orange flower --- the petals are actually turning backwards away from the center, which makes it look more exotic.

The leaves go in perfect circles around the stem- and are long and thin. Each circle of leaves is about 5 inches apart, and towards the top they spread out into one here and there.

Is this plant native to Western North Carolina? Can anyone help me figure out what this plant's name is???

Xoxoxox

Red Wild Bee Balm

Lately I have been branching out far beyond my Luck Cabin to other parts of the woods within walking distance. Sometimes I trek a good few miles getting lost in the vast beauty and the strangeness of being alone in deeper darker woods. Sometimes I happen upon a clearing, a patch of something special (usually it's nettles).... today it is red BEE BALM! I have seen tiny amounts of bee balm in the forest before - even under canopies of total shade, they don't seem to be all that picky in the wild. But here in this secret spot tucked far away I found fields of it...

Isn't it a striking unusual flower? Hummingbirds, butterflies and moths LOVE it too!

There are bunches of uses for the bee balm plant, from head to ground (but not the part underground....)
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"The red variety is commonly known as Oswego Tea. It was used by colonists in place of English Tea after the Boston Tea Party, when they threw the English tea in the harbor to protest the high taxes imposed on it by the British.
Bee Balm was used as a medicinal plant extensively by Native Americans who recognized four varieties that had different odors. Wild Bergamot was used also as an active diaphoretic (sweat inducer) for ceremonial sweat lodges. A decoction of the herb was made into hair pomade. " :::: read more at -altnature.com

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You can see in the pic above the leaves are long and narrow - and when ya crush them they have a very distinct smell (similar to thyme and hippies, a deep frangrance hard to describe.). The flowers bloom June through July and come in a few colors... so now's the time to look out for them. :) My favorite flavor is the white-ish ones cause they smell like lemon yumminess!

But who can't love endless space filled with red flowers!?!

XOxoxoox Yay!

Rare Native Orchid: Pink Lady's Slipper

I knew when I saw this flower next to a creek behind my cabin it was something awesome... it has a presence that would have made Georgia O'Keeffe swoon with sexy flower delight! After some investigating, like asking peeps on facebook and calling friends to describe my find - " it's a pink flower on a tall stem that looks super sexual, almost like a guy's nutsack") I soon found out this was a rare endangered orchid, native to the Appalachian mountains & surrounding states.

Coooool! I have found a Pink Lady's Slipper (also known as the "moccasin flower", cause somebody thought it looked like a shoe because they couldn't admit what it really looks like)!
"The plant has two wide basal leaves that stay horizontal and a single stalk growing to about a foot high bearing the pink flower. Transplanting from the wild is strongly discouraged because of the rarity of the plant and the almost nil chances of success. New plants are difficult to start because of the need for symbiotic fungi in supping nutrients to the seed. It takes years for the new plant to develop leaves for supplying its own energy. " - briartech.com

In other words... LOOK but do NOT touch this pretty flower! Even if ya like to normally touch things that look similar to this. ;)
XoxoxoXXX

Tiny Wildflowers

Everything micro tiny is cute! Here are some pics of little bitty wildflowers around my cabin... I know that the first one is the purple violet (and I have been told they are edible?) - if anyone knows the names of the rest of the wittle ones below please let me know! I'd love to learn about them. :)

BTW- tell me which ones are your favorite!?!

Xoxo

Eat Ya' (Dandelion) Greens

YOu know what's crazy about dandelions? They sell these in the grocery & online as a gourmet green, and powdered forms of the root mushed into pills for liver support... yet it's probably growing in just about everyone's backyard, or at least a few steps away. And since no one seems to covet this fantabulous flowering plant, no one will care if you pick it! Steam it, dry it, use it for medicine, or even a roasted alternative coffee ingredient.

It's only drawback is a man-made one, and that is some people spray their lawns with chemicals and fertilizers that will make ya sick if you eat from their plentiful weeds... so if you dont know the area/source lean towards caution and don't eat it.
The smaller younger leaves are the least bitter, so depending on your taste size does matter. Speaking of which, the scientific name for dandelion, Taraxacum would make the most awesome porn star name when broken down...... in case this career is in my future I am going to claim a grassroots copyright on this ---> Tara X Acum.

So, aside from that digression - I put my dandelion greens on top some salmon to steam with veggies and rice noodles! MmmmMmMmm.
Xoxoxo

What's Surviving The Drought?

My experimental organic garden this year is totally fried because of the drought, a nearby black walnut tree, and a ground hog I named "King George". What really survives a drought are usually native plants & wildflowers- and rarely will traditional crops or vegetables make it without some sort of water brought in by humans. These are pictures to enjoy of the wild survivors in my yard!