Zach Irick, SGIs Southern Appalachian grasslands coordinator, recently co-led a “Grasslands and Woodlands of the Smokies” hike for the annual Great Smoky Mountains Wildflower Pilgrimage in Cades Cove, with Dwayne Estes and SGI-APSU graduate research assistants, Gabby LeFevre and Jared Gorrell.
The best grasslands in the area are found in the center of Cades Cove off Hyatt Lane.
Zach talking about canebrakes, a type of woody grassland that once covered large swaths of the southeastern U.S. Only approximately 2% of our historic canebrake ecosystems still exist. These canebrake ecosystems were highly specialized and numerous species of animals that lived there have declined along with the canebrakes.
Open woodlands are another type of grassland ecosystem which can be found in the Smokies. These open woodlands consist of scattered trees surrounded by a rich herbaceous groundcover consisting of flowers and grasses.
The hike included multiple stops for “mini-lectures” and discussions such as this one ne on Southern Appalachian grassy balds. In the past, these grassy meadows were likely kept open through a combination of large herbivores, fires set by Native Americans, and fires set by lightning strikes.
Of course, plenty of time was also devoted to learning about sun-loving plants found along the trail. This naturally led to the discussion of fire ecology in the park’s pine-oak woodlands.
SGI wants to thank the sponsors of the Great Smoky Mountain Wildflower Pilgrimage for including us in this year’s activities. We would also like to thank all of the participants who joined us on the hike to learn more about the grasslands and woodlands of the Smokies.
DWAYNE ESTES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dwayne is our fearless leader and the "Prairie Preacher." He actively works to raise awareness and support for Southeastern grasslands through research, conservation, and education.
SHANNON TRIMBOLI, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Shannon helps the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative tell the forgotten and untold stories of our Southeastern grasslands.