It was a He**uva Hike!

For those of you that know me you might think you know what “He_**uva” means, but you are wrong, it means “Heckuva”  

Thanks to Drs. Bob Pohlad and Carolyn Thomas of Ferrum College, the BRFAL group and some guests including some members from the Beagle Ridge Chapter and NRV Chapter were able to get an exclusive tour of the DeHart Botanical Gardens.  Our group included folks from 2 to 82 years of age!

Our advertised mission was to examine spring wildflowers in bloom, but what really happened was much greater.  Not only did we examine wildflowers, we were draped in a Southwestern Virginia veil of natural beauty, while testing our hiking limits of elevation change and making new friends with a like-minded interest in nature.  The weather was perfect.

 But we did not fail in our original mission.  We saw the following wildflowers: white trillium, purple trillium, star chickweed, spring beauties, fire pinks, showy orchids, dwarf crested orchids, black cohosh, purple cohosh, blue cohash, may apples, bloodroot, striped maple, witch hazel, solomon’s seal, sessile bellwort (wild oats), Indian cucumber, ragwort, golden Alexander, mustard, saxifrage, ladyslipper, cutleaf toothwart, heuchera, maple leafed vibirnum, perfoliate viburnum, perfoliate bellwort, meadow rue, columbine, rough bedstraw, yellow mandarin and viola spp.  This list is thanks to Meg Brager and Linda Gette (NRV chapter).

In addition to the wildflowers and the beautiful overlooks, we saw and heard a variety of birdlife, a lovely waterfall and the original homestead on the property of the DeHart land.  For more information about DeHart Botanical Gardens, please go to the following link here. 

Here are some pictures from our lovely day below (for more pictures by Bob Pohlad follow this link here. 

    Getting ready to go.

  The whole gang

   Charlotte holding up the cave entrance!

  The old homestead

   Niagara....er, DeHart Falls

   This is the place!