Flora and Fauna

The Mountain Laurel, Rhododendron, and Honeysuckle are blooming, and flowery perfume is lingering in the air throughout the AT.  The 'Long Green Tunnel' is finally in effect- I spend most of my days hiking through leafy green forests, with only occasional views of gorgeous topography or a visual sense of elevation gained or lost.  Compare, if you will:

Georgia, in March

Virginia, in June

 Pretty different, eh?  There are some parts of the trail where I'm walking, surrounded on both sides and above, by flowers in full bloom.  It's crazy beautiful, although none of the photos I've taken can capture the feeling that I've accidentally snuck into someone's no-so-well manicured English garden.

 Rhododendron, finally in bloom.

(I've been waiting for MONTHS for this.)

 Mountain Laurel.  (Silly me, I thought these plants were 

mini-Rhododendron until they started blooming.)

With the spring has also come an abundance of wildlife: squirrels, chipmunks, vultures, ravens, raptors of some variety or another, deer galore (including a sneezing one), hard-working dung beetles, gorgeous black/brown/red millipedes, fleet footed lizards, tubby tummied toads, newts, fish, raccoon, and snakes (although I've only had ONE good snake sighting so far).  No bears, no rattlesnakes, and (thankfully) no catamount.  

 There's not a chance of me catching one of these guys.  They're too fast!

Gorgeous!

I thought I knew what a milipede was until I met this guy.

I will never confuse them with centipedes again.

Yesterday, during my 22 mile hike, I was surprised by a snake.  Now, I've been surprised by snakes before- catching their tale end as they disappear into the grass, which, as an appreciator of snakes, is rather disappointing.  Many of my friends have seen multitudes of snakes, including rattlesnakes, but not me.  The other day I came across this sign, which got me all excited, but then, nothing.

 The AT isn't big on truth in advertising.

But then yesterday, I happened across a scene that was so startling that it took about 20 seconds for my brain to process what my mind was seeing.  And then, once I finally recognized what I was looking at, I was floored.  (If you're squeamish about snakes or are really sensitive, you might not want to look at the next photo, because it's a doozy).

This isn't going to end well for anyone, I think.

And finally, because I didn't want to leave you with something sad, here are two very industrious dung beetles, and grand, grand view. 

Hard at work!

Goodnight!