Snakeroot Ecotours

19/06/2024

We took Margaret Renkl and her family out to see some of my favorite species of firefly a couple weeks ago. She crafted the experience into this beautiful piece in the NYTimes.

There were no trees. There was no road. I was the trees, and I was the road. That darkness was like no darkness I’ve ever known.

13/06/2024

With the permission of Celo Community, I worked with Drew Perrin to install these signs, artfully crafted by Carly Todd of Camp Celo, marking the historic high water events of the South Toe River. You can read all about it in the most recent post of the Snakeroot blog. https://www.snakerootecotours.com/post/high-water-marks

28/05/2024

For a second I thought this robber fly had snatched an EAB, but I think it actually got a green tiger beetle (Cicendela). Entomology-minded folks should chime in if they know better or can be more specific (it is a type of robber fly, right?). I'll also post it on iNaturalist (insta for nature nerds), where we're more likely to get answers. In any case, the Red Eft Hiking Camp kids got a kick out of it on their first day exploring the mountain forests this summer. Also 72 salamanders (representing 10 species, the kids claim) were spotted, an ancient looking box turtle, a short tailed shrew, and countless laurel blooms. Birds heard included: black, and green, -throated warblers, ovenbirds, black-and-white warblers, and blue-headed vireos.

18/05/2024

If you've not experienced the blue ghost fireflies, now's your chance. Their displays are peaking right now, even in bright moonlight. We have a few days left on our calendar with spaces available.

Take a guided night walk with Snakeroot and experience the Blue Ghost firefly--many consider this a once-in-a-lifetime event.

07/05/2024

All my piedmont friends are posting cicada pics and videos. In the mountains we have to wait until next year (2025) for our 17-yr emergence, but lots of critters are emerging right now as the earth and waters warm and the days settle into their summertime length. Next week will be our first Blue Ghost Firefly walks of the season. Join us to experience this one-of-a-kind Appalachian phenomonen. Link below is the first natural history article I wrote for Mountain Xpress from 2017. Link for walks is in the comments.

"Let their mysterious glow enchant you. And as you enjoy the spectacle, learn to think like a firefly: Imagine that every artificial light interferes with your ability to serenade a mate. Make friends with the darkness."

03/05/2024

Lady slippers will headline Monday’s Orchid Walk. We should see 4-5 species in bloom, plus you’ll be introduced to the foliage of several of our other shy native orchids. And Blue Ghost Firefly walks are now on the calendar.
https://www.snakerootecotours.com/calendar

17/04/2024

Unless you're a member of NC High Peaks Trail Association the only spots left for ephemeral wildflower walks this spring are for the one tomorrow (Thursday) at 3 pm, or an all-day space in the Chasing Spring retreat on Sunday April 28. Message me for a last minute discount code for tomorrow's walk. For NC High Peaks Trails members, there are still spaces in Saturday's walk.

01/04/2024

And it's begun! Spring ephemeral wildflowers are erupting on the scene, filling the Appalachian rich coves with their annual superbloom. The Hepatica, bloodroot and trout lilies are peaking, and the Dicentra and Trillium have just begun. We've got 1 room left at the for this year's Chasing Spring nature retreat. The chef just sent me a supper menu. You won't want to miss it. Link in bio for more info.
UPDATE: the Inn is now fully booked, but there are spots for locals to participate (everything but the lodging).

22/12/2023

Wrapped up 4 days paddling the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers. Crystal clear spring waters met the tannins of the (slowly flooding) Santa Fe. Piles upon piles of sunning turtles. Cold nights drove manatees up the swimmably-warm Ich. Nothing like waking up to mist rising from the river as the sun rises between live oaks and cypress trees.

14/12/2023

We’re returning to Cumberland Island in March. This is Snakeroot’s only guided adventure off the mountain: a spring backpacking trip through the wildest barrier island on the southeast coast. The magical maritime forest of live oaks, spanish moss and palmettos is one of the great forests of the world, and Cumberland is its finest manifestation. We’ll spend 5-days exploring the forests, beaches, and natural history of Cumberland Island’s 10,000 acre wilderness area. A portion of the proceeds from this trip goes to support the work of Wild_Cumberland and we’ll visit with Carol Ruckdeschel, the unrelenting defender of Cumberland’s wilderness. Past participants rave about this trip – one called it the “opportunity of a lifetime.” Trip will be March 17-22; link in comments for details and registration information.

15/11/2023

I’m making a 2024 mushroom calendar with all new (2023) photos. None of them have been posted before, and here is a sampling of outtakes (except for the last pic which has thumbnails of those that did make the cut). Detailed captions provide highlights of Appalachian mushroom ecology and morphology. They will be $30 each plus shipping; message me to pre-order.

16/09/2023

Continuing to experiment with capturing the glow of bioluminescent mushrooms. These pics of luminescent Panellus were all taken this morning as dawn broke. The first one is actually the middle one, with a bit of ambient light just before sunrise. The second is full daylight, the third is full darkness. I'm fascinated (and sometimes frustrated) by the fact that some fruiting bodies, even though they appear to be in their prime, don't glow - see the large one towards the back of this grouping. These mushrooms are incredibly common right now. The recent rains brought them out in several oak logs near my home. This little cluster is growing out of the end of a cordwood round.

25/08/2023

Last week it hadn't rained in several days, and I'd been watering some beautiful clusters of jackolanterns near my house (2nd pic). I went out to photograph them early one morning, only to discover that someone had harvested the whole patch the previous evening. Hopefully it didn't end up on someone's dinner plate! Jacks are probably the most commonly consumed poisonous mushroom due to its vague resemblance to tasty orange mushrooms like chanterelles and COW.

Fortunately a neighbor tipped me off to another nearby cluster. It was almost finished, but still had some glow, and just after 6 am, with a 30 second, I managed to capture both the glow from the gills, and the orange of the caps. When I shined a light on it, I could see the spores wafting away like white smoke into the pre-dawn air. 

Excited to be at this weekend for more mushroom madness.

25/08/2023

Last weekend Snakeroot hosted a Summer Headwaters nature retreat at the Celo Inn. Being August, the theme was mushrooms and swimming hole hikes.

Mushroom forays and orchid walks each morning turned up over a hundred species of fungi and a dozen species of native orchids. We found a bit of bioluminescence on a night walk.

Thanks for the perfect hosting location, for helping, and for turning baskets of wild mushrooms and garden veggies into a nourishing mezza spread.

18/08/2023

‘Tis the season for foxfire. Foxfire is a generic term for bioluminescent fungi, and is probably an anglicized pronunciation of the french/english mash-up “faux fire.” It is often used to refer to wood that is activated by mycelium. When you google it, you’ll be led to believe it is usually caused by honey mushroom mycelium (Armillaria) which is a common tree pathogen. Sometimes you’ll find info on jack-o-lantern mushrooms (Omphalotus illudens), which are quite charismatic, large orange (and poisonous) mushrooms. But I rarely see glowing wood caused by Armillaria, and jack-o-lanterns actually produce a very dim glow (pics 3 & 4).

The brightest and most abundant foxfire in the forests around here is the glow from fruiting bodies of luminescent Panellus, aka bitter oysters (Panellus stipticus). These off-white mushrooms are common little shelf mushrooms that grow in colonies on hardwoods, preferably oak (pics 1 & 2). They are indeed remarkably bitter (yes, I tasted them – once), and they make for magical night walks between July and October.
There are also little Mycena that glow in the dark, damp rhododendron forests of the Appalachians, and it seems that some of them are either undescribed species, or their luminescence has not been officially recognized. Getting DNA sequencing done on these little glowing mushies is apparently quite a challenge since their tiny bodies don’t provide much mass to work with. There are tiny ones that I’ve been observing on a white ash in the neighborhood that are only 2-3 mm (pics 5 & 6). I’m trying to collect as many specimens as I can before the tree succumbs to EAB. Hopefully white ash is not its only host, or we may lose this species before we even come to know it. I hope to have more info to share on this species in coming years. So far one result has come back for the mushrooms featured in pics 7 & 8. It grows on rhodos around here, and after DNA analysis is found to be a 93% match for the well-known bioluminescent tropical species Mycena chlorophos.

12/08/2023

The little jumping spider in the first pic was guarding my edamame patch from all the beetles and little pests that love to eat soybeans. But no longer. In a real circle-of-life moment, the poor guy got devoured by a cordyceps fungi. If you look closely on the right side of the photo, you’ll see the tiny strands of mycelium that tie him to the leaf.

Cordyceps are a generic term for a diverse array of entomophagous fungi. Yes, that is “entomo” for insects, and “phagous” for eating. Like bats and songbirds, they prey on insects and all sorts of creepy crawlies. Biologists may prefer “entomopathogenic,” meaning that they cause disease (pathogens) in insects, but since they literally consume their host and use that energy to grow and reproduce, they really are insect (and arachnid)-eaters.

These are common fungi that are simply hard to see for the untrained eye. They’ve been featured in big-time nature documentaries like Planet Earth, as well as sci-fi. Most recently (and most famously), the premise of the hit HBO series The Last Of Us is that cordyceps evolve to attack humans.

Some researchers are looking for ways to control insects (specifically ants and termites) using entomophagous fungi. Something that I’ve noticed about many species of cordyceps is that they have exceptional preservative qualities. I’ve seen the same zombie-ants frozen in place on a tree for several years without breaking down. A simple dead ant would typically decay within days or weeks in this climate, so the fungi must produce a powerful preservative.

Best guesses at identification are in the photo captions. The little jumping spider in the first pic was guarding my edamame patch from all the beetles and little pests that love to eat soybeans. But no longer. In a real circle-of-life moment, the poor guy got devoured by a cordyceps fungi. If you look closely on the right side of the photo, you’ll see the tiny strands of mycelium that tie him to the leaf.

07/08/2023

Some say you need to ingest St. John’s Wort to receive its anti-depressant medicinal benefits. But there’s something to be said for receiving the mood-lifting benefits visually. Admittedly it is hard to distinguish the feelings you get from the flower of Hypericum graveolens (Mountain St. John’s Wort) vs simply being in its habitat – lush,high mountain meadows, adjacent to the patchy cloud forests cloaking the peaks of WNC.

29/05/2023

The elusive pipevine flower. Dutchman’s pipe is a common vine with heart-shaped leaves that loves to entangle a rich cove forest. As common as it is, it’s surprisingly difficult to get a close look at their fascinating pipe-shaped flowers. Most mature vines flower up in the canopy, well out of sight. The key is to look for vines that hang low, or have climbed on trees with broken limbs that bring the flowers down within reach of the forest floor. In some of the rich coves that I’ve worked in, large holes in the canopy have opened due to EAB-related white ash die-off. Many of these openings are thickly entwined with Dutchman’s pipe. One time, staving off lunch-time hunger while surveying a rich cove, I was munching greenbriar (Smilax) shoots as I waded through the thick undergrowth. I accidentally snatched a pipevine tip and popped it in my mouth (the vine tendrils have a similar gestalt). The most horrendously unpleasant taste shocked me into a gagging and spitting reflex. Upon later research, I felt fortunate that it tasted bad enough to elicit that reaction. Pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla) contains aristolochic acid which is a powerful nephrotoxin. In large doses it can cause kidney failure, and in small continuous doses (it’s an ingredient in some traditional Chinese medicines) it can be a powerful carcinogen. Later in the summer, we find lots of pipevine swallowtail caterpillars – apparently immune to the effects of aristolochic acid – happily munching the leaves.

16/05/2023

It’s that time of year. Blue ghost walks start Wednesday night and there are still a few spaces available for at least the first couple of nights.

"Let their mysterious glow enchant you. And as you enjoy the spectacle, learn to think like a firefly: Imagine that every artificial light interferes with your ability to serenade a mate. Make friends with the darkness."

15/05/2023

Spaces are still available for opening night of Blue Ghost season (this Wednesday). Forecast suggests a peak display. Most other nights are currently sold out, but a few more dates may open up.

09/05/2023

Found this population of deep red trout lilies on the slopes of Mount Cammerer a few weeks ago. This species is known for its pollen color dimorphism (sometimes yellow, sometimes red), but I’d not seen such a strong difference in petal color.

02/05/2023

Pink and yellow lady slippers will headline Thursday’s Orchid Walk. We should see 4-5 species in bloom, plus you’ll be introduced to the foliage of several of our other shy native orchids. https://www.snakerootecotours.com/calendar

30/04/2023

The richest cove in the Blacks this year is covered up in Canada violets. Maybe they should be called Kabuki cat-faced violets. This cove was immune to this spring's dry spells and extreme heat because it's kept cool and moist by a waterfall. We visited yesterday as part of our Chasing Spring nature retreat. Next up: Orchid Walk on May 4, check the website's calendar for registration.

19/04/2023

This is me with one of the largest white ashes I’ve encountered. It’s hundreds of years old but it’ll take a miracle for the tree, or a tragedy on my part, for it to outlive me. Emerald ash borers, a tiny green beetle, are toppling these trees across its entire range. Bearing witness to an extinction is hard on the soul. This individual is one of several in an old growth grove in one of the richest coves of the Smokies. Its neighbors are towering poplars, enormous buckeyes, and the biggest silverbells and basswoods I’ve ever seen. Being immersed in this astonishingly verdant and diverse forest is balm for the soul.

07/04/2023

Excited to disappear deep into the wildflower coves of the Smokies for the next few days where the maidenhairs and foamflowers are up and the Canada violets are the whitest you’ve ever seen. Here are a few shots from last year’s pilgrimage. It’ll be interesting to see how the phenology compares (we’ll be there 10 days earlier this year). This is what it means to chase spring. Come join us at this year’s Chasing Spring retreat at the end of the month. If you can’t make it, but know someone who might be interested, please share. https://www.snakerootecotours.com/blue-ridge-nature-retreats

31/03/2023

A few more from the island: a live sand dollar, assorted crab shells and shark’s teeth, and a fringed sawgill mushroom.
Wild_Cumberland

31/03/2023

Last week 11 intrepid explorers traipsed dozens of miles through Cumberland Island’s majestic maritime wilderness. Over the course of 5 days, we watched armadillos snuffle through the duff; saw the sun rise over the Atlantic and set over the marshes; and slept under the stars, live oaks and Spanish moss. We woke each morning to the songs of white-eyed vireos, yellow-throated warblers, and northern parulas.

Words can’t express the feeling of being immersed for days in a wilderness maritime forest. We’ll go back next March for more adventures; in the meantime there are two rooms and a few day spots left for the April 28-May 1 Chasing Spring Wildflower retreat. Here at home, the blue-headed vireos - the vanguard of migrating songbirds - have arrived and the ephemerals are just beginning to bloom!

Thank you to Carol and Jess at Wild_Cumberland for their decades of work keeping the island wild. Our little group raised $1200 for their cause, and I encourage you all to check them out. And thanks to Micah and Jake for helping to make it happen.

16/03/2023

It was 15 degrees in the valley this morning. I’ve seen a few early spring beauties, violets, and toothworts blooming. But most of the ephemerals are still tucked in, waiting for April.
https://www.snakerootecotours.com/blue-ridge-nature-retreats

21/02/2023

We’ve not had much of a winter here in WNC. This spring salamander emerged, wondering if it’s over yet. It’s as if we skipped January, and now February feels like March. Wood frogs and song sparrows have been quacking and singing for weeks. Recently spring peepers have joined the chorus, and chickadees, robins and cardinals are warming up their voices. Fortunately most of our native wildflowers are more tuned to the sun’s increasing light, and won’t be fooled by preternaturally warm temperatures. I expect most will bloom as usual in late April, when we host our annual wildflower retreat. On the last weekend in April, we’ll chase spring up and down the slopes, in search of the richest wildflower coves. Join us Chasing Spring this year: https://www.snakerootecotours.com/blue-ridge-nature-retreats

20/11/2022

Wrapped up the season a couple weeks ago with a 4-day backpack in the Smokies. The last of the AT thru-hikers were heading south along the wintry ridge at 6000’, and it was late fall down below. Thick leaves underfoot, monster tulip trees and hemlocks. Many of the hemlocks were fallen giants, but there are also more surviving hemlock groves in the Smokies than anywhere else in the southeast due to decades of diligent treatment.

The WNC guiding season will be quiet for the next few months, aside from the occasional custom outing. Save the date for 2023’s first offering — a wilderness island backpacking trip, March 19-24. Stay tuned for more details.