As I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway a few months ago, I kept seeing areas of yellow flowers blooming along the road edges, especially along hillsides or cliff edges. Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) is another variety of the many; a variety that is new to me. It reminds me of the Oxeye Sunflower which is found on prairies. These I found when I stopped at one of the viewing areas on the Parkway. Copyright 2024 Pamela Breitberg“Divaricatus” refers to the perennial’s “stranggling manner” of growth; it is considered too aggressive in some habitats. Along the Parkway it brightened the roadside. Read more here.The background for these Woodland Sunflowers are exposed parts of the Great Smoky Mountains. The rocks were exposed during the blasting and construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway through the mountains. Copyright 2024 Pamela Breitberg
Beautiful, vibrant yellow.