Spring Creek near Bluff Mountain

Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis

saturday found us meeting a new friend and traveling to visit a friend and her family up by bluff mountain. her property is full of beautiful flowers and trees.
our new friend, lawrence, is an amazing person with a lot to share, including some chicken and avocados.

some plants in the yard we shared time with were:

Elderberry Sambucus canadensis


Horseweed Conyza canadensis.

Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum virginianum

New York Ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis

Evening Primrose Oenothera Biennis

and a very mellow praying mantis.

then we trekked across the road and into the forest itself. there we encountered:

Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis

Black Walnut Juglans Nigra

Spice Bush Lindera Benzoin

Hog Peanut Amphicapaea Bracteata

Virginia Dayflower Commelina Virginica

Mockernut Hickory Carya Tomentosa

Stinging Nettle Urtica Dioica

Jewelweed Impatiens Capensis

all of these were found at about 2600' elevation.

at night we sat around the fire until sleep led us to our bedrolls.

the next day was more exploring and we found:

Wild Stonecrop

Bearcorn

a big red shelf mushroom

several deer runs and many burrows.

and along came a spider...

then we had a meal in hot springs and set out to find the wildroots community based on a dilapidated map i keep in my head and heart. we found it! there we experienced beautiful people barktanning and smoking hides and they invited us to share a meal. we gratefully accepted and had a wonderful time sharing our hearts, minds, fears and hopes.

on monday we gathered together with another friend and played a game that deepened our connections and helped us practice communication skills and radical honesty. we hope to make our gatherings around this a weekly thing.

all in all, it was.