Chicory was a popular wild plant back in the day when it was used to make a coffee-like beverage. It is very common in our area and can be seen right now growing along roadsides and abandoned places.

Chicory is easy to identify by its blue, dandelion-like flowers that have fringed, flat tipped petals, which can sometimes be white or pink. The flower will usually close up in the late afternoon or on overcast days. The leaves at the base of the plant are dandelion-like (they are in the same family) and will similarly bleed a milky sap when broken off. Chicory stands around two feet tall.

The hemlock is one of my favorite trees because of its huge size and that it grows along mountain springs and creeks that are usually picturesque and nice places to visit.

The eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is our local native, and there is also a western species found from the Rockies west. The local name for the tree is spruce-pine. As mentioned, it likes to grow up in the mountains near streams where the soil is cool and moist. It is a majestic tree, reaching a height of 100 feet when mature, and can have a trunk up to 4 feet in diameter. Standing in a grove of large hemlocks makes me feel like I’m in a church cathedral and I can get into a spiritual, awestruck mood.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Park

Though their numbers vary from place to place, you likely have seen and for sure heard the periodical cicada, which has emerged this year in vast numbers and is creating a loud drone during the warm part of the day.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

From personal observation and talking with others, it seems to be a good year for carpenter bees, as there are plenty of them. Usually when I get asked about them it’s how to get rid of them.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Walking in the woods you are bound to rocks, soil, even the base of trees covered with a thick, green carpet. Moss may appear fairly plain, but it has a few features that call for more attention. It is an old and venerable life form unique to other plants you find in the forest.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Some time you find an immature bird that has fallen out of the nest, which can happen in the spring when the birds are old enough to move around in the nest but too young to fly. Their flopping about sometimes puts them on the ground and in serious trouble. So what to do?

My Grandpa Roark was really into doing farm activities according to the signs, be it planting crops, killing weeds, or dehorning cattle. And his preference was to go by a system that used human body part signs to tell when it was a good time to do things: plant root crops when the signs are in the head and kill weeds when the signs are in the bowels. I grew up hearing this stuff and had no clue what they were talking about, except that they always used a calendar given out by one of the local banks that indicated what the signs were on a particular day. With gardening season upon us, I set out to finally figure them out…I think. The astronomy and astrology involved is mind boggling but let me take a shot at sorting it out.

Spring is a great time of year, when the dull browns of winter give way to fresh grass, soft greens of newly opened leaves, and lots of flower blooms. Actively seeking out wildflowers in their varying habitats is an enjoyable way to spend warming spring days, roaming the woods and fields for some fresh air, exercise, and the challenge of the hunt. An additional challenge if you’re so inclined, is identifying them.

During the spring you can look at the mountains and tell where the streams and small drains are by looking for the streaks of green that the early leafing yellow poplar produces. It prefers to grow where the soil is deep and moist.

Every now and then I like to celebrate our heritage and list words that I’ve heard spoken in the mountain dialect. There is a difference between those raised in the country and those raised in the city, with the country folk using more dialect than those from the city. My parents and kin were of the country variety, so I had a rich collection of words to enjoy. In past articles I’ve covered A through C words. This one does the Ds. See how many you have heard used.