Adventures of a Nature Guide

Sweet Sights and Sounds of a Tennessee Summer

By SHERLENE SPICER

Rosebay rhododendrons pop like stars in the shady forests of Roan Mountain. Photographed by Sherlene Spicer in June, 2011.

Oh, how we love being in the country in the summertime. Driving along the countryside, fresh hay bales fill pastures; mother turkeys with a dozen babes peck the grasses for bugs; mama deer followed by a young one scramble over a road bank; a box turtle makes its way to lay eggs and, then there are the sounds of the melodious frogs….

In the evening, as I take my stroll up the road, I so enjoy how much life there is all around me. Lightning bugs, crickets, katydids and more frogs. Tree frogs are seen on the sliding glass door when the porch light is left on. Green frogs are in the water garden pond as I write. They sound like a plucking on a banjo. Toads scatter on the road as I walk. Bats and swifts are in the air just above the ground eating all those pesky insects. Nothing like summertime here.

My get-away for June was the fundraising event at Roan Mountain. Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy hosts it annually the third week of June to continue its efforts to protect and preserve this beautiful mountain area.

The balds of Roan Mountain are unique with plants that are found more typically in Canada. The grassy mountain tops are covered in Catawba rhododendron. Patches of deep shades of orange and yellow, flame azaleas dot the landscape. Mountain ash, a small tree similar to sumac, grows at elevations of three to five thousand feet. In June we saw their white flowers; their bright orange berries come in the fall. Covering the hillsides, there were wild strawberries and blueberries as well as a thornless blackberry. The other more appreciated plant is the Grays lily. Standing nearly three feet tall, orange tiger lily-like flowers stand out amongst a mountain of tall grasses. Going to Roan is like seeing good friends, my plant favorites.

This year, I wanted to see one of our other native rhododendrons, rosebay. This white, hint of pink, green throat rhododendron grows in the Smokey Mountains. Rosebay rhododendrons border the streams and cover the low elevation mountains. These shade loving plants proliferate as undergrowth.

Back at home, our birds have been the usual summertime visitors. Loads of ruby-throated hummingbirds are on the many flowers planted in my gardens, such as red blooming bee balm, coralle fuchsia, butterfly bush and lady-in red-salvia. We attempt to keep the feeders full, as well.

One morning, I heard a wood thrush and a vireo. Great crested flycatchers are out, as well as yellow-billed cuckoos.

While camping at Anderson Road Campground on Percy Priest Lake for the Fourth of July, we had screech owl and Chuck-wills-widows in camp. Mother mallards with teenagers swam past us while we were in our kayak. Great blue herons stood in the water and hung out on tree limbs while fishing for their breakfasts. Ospreys, black-crown night herons and cormorants joined them. The lakes are home for many wading birds.

Lastly, we didn't forget to enjoy summer sunsets along the Natchez Trace Parkway and its outstanding views for miles and miles.

Williamson County native Sherlene Spicer shares her travels in remote and nearby areas through her writing and photography.