Stalking the Wild Orchid
It was a bucket list hike. We didn’t even know we were looking for it. An orchid. In the wild.
I’d never seen a native one before, although I was aware they could be found in the woods of the Blue Ridge mountains where we live. Joe spotted it, and I said, “I think it’s an orchid.”
The Rock Castle Gorge trail is becoming like our back-yard, a second home, a pandemic weekend get-away.
There were still a few Virginia bluebells sprinkled along the path since our hike last week.
Red trillium’s three part petals and three part leaves makes it look like a six-pointed star.
We did about 4 miles of the 11-mile loop, back and forth from the primitive camp ground to the 1916 Austin family homestead along the Rock Castle Creek. It would make a nice Bed and Breakfast if there was any road access to it.
I told Joe he should start a creek yoga class.
We also came across a kaleidoscope of butterflies and I was stung by stinging nettles.___________Our World Tuesday
April 26th, 2020 7:43 pm
Sorry to hear about the stinging nettles. I’ve never seen so many butterflies clustered together like that … nor have I seen a yoga instructor quite as buoyant as that. 🙂
April 27th, 2020 5:00 pm
Looks a wonderful place to escape this madness.
April 28th, 2020 9:01 pm
Wow oh wow! What a wonderful trail to walk on.
April 30th, 2020 4:42 pm
I wonder if the austin house is haunted. A friend and I stayed in a Sonoma hotel once, and our light turned on in the night. The staff said, sorry that’s the ghost.
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LeeAnna
May 3rd, 2020 10:15 pm
Amazing that you found a wild orchid by chance … people go on guided expeditions to see those! And everything else you shared about that walk was wonderful too.. what a great place to shed some Covid anxiety….