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September’s Mountain Wildflower: Yellow-fringed Orchid

Once you spot the yellow-fringed orchids as you struggle up a steep slope while hiking during the heat of a September afternoon, you may wish you had never seen them.

August’s Mountain Wildflower: Cardinal Flower

It’s a plant that perfectly illustrates that the web of life is an amazing thing that seems to have no end to its number of strands.

July’s Mountain Wildflower: Bee Balm

Bee Balm is an inhabitant of moist areas in woodlands and beside streams, ponds and lakes where it is often seen growing close to cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis).

November’s Blue Ridge Mountain Apple Profile: Stayman Winesap

The Stayman Winesap originated in Kansas in the mid-1800s, but it began to appear in our region late in that century and quickly became a fixture in highland orchards.

Waterfall Wednesday: Kyles Ford Falls – An Unspoiled Appalachian Gem

Kyles Ford Falls is a beautiful 40-ish-foot waterfall tucked away in Kyles Ford, Tennessee.

Current Issue

f858b574-2361-11ef-8aed-12163087a831-9-2024yellowfringedorchid--credit-Joe-Cook

September’s Mountain Wildflower: Yellow-fringed Orchid

Once you spot the yellow-fringed orchids as you struggle up a steep slope while hiking during the heat of a September afternoon, you may wish you had never seen them.
511292cc-2360-11ef-b7a1-12163087a831-8-2024cardinalflower--credit-Joe-Cook-_-Monica-Sheppard

August’s Mountain Wildflower: Cardinal Flower

It’s a plant that perfectly illustrates that the web of life is an amazing thing that seems to have no end to its number of strands.
92d3ec46-2280-11ef-87f7-12163087a831-7-2024beebalm--credit-Joe-Cook

July’s Mountain Wildflower: Bee Balm

Bee Balm is an inhabitant of moist areas in woodlands and beside streams, ponds and lakes where it is often seen growing close to cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis).
Stayman Winesap apples are a heritage Blue Ridge apple.

November’s Blue Ridge Mountain Apple Profile: Stayman Winesap

The Stayman Winesap originated in Kansas in the mid-1800s, but it began to appear in our region late in that century and quickly became a fixture in highland orchards.
7303063c-16d6-11ef-bf59-12163087a831-JTM_4205

Waterfall Wednesday: Kyles Ford Falls – An Unspoiled Appalachian Gem

Kyles Ford Falls is a beautiful 40-ish-foot waterfall tucked away in Kyles Ford, Tennessee.
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Departments

Vibrant Monarch butterfly clings to its translucent dew covered cocoon
Creature Feature

Monarch Mimickers

It’s easy to mistake other orange species for the king of fall butterflies.

August 26, 2026
At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

June 29, 2026
©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

June 29, 2026

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