SANP Field Event
Frozen Head Wildflowers with Kris Light
Wednesday, April 16th, 2025
Leader: Kris Light Phone: (865)742-8278 E-mail: klight10@gmail.com
Meeting place: Frozen Head State Park Visitor Center
Time: 10:00 am
Registration available: Beginning today
Description: Wildflower expert Kris Light will be leading this field event for wildflowers at Frozen Head State Park. The park is renowned for its variety of spring wildflowers. Kris is an expert in wildflowers at Frozen Head State Park. Join her for this walk through Frozen Head State Park in search of wildflowers.
You can expect to find several varieties of violets and trillium, wild iris, wild geranium, and many more. If the weather cooperates and the temperatures are warm enough, you may see butterflies, bees, beetles, millipedes. Interesting fungi, mosses, and lichens are a good possibility also. DeBord Falls on Panther Branch Creek is a short walk, about ¼-mile from the trailhead. Small cascades and moss-covered boulders along the stream offer nice photo opportunities.
If there is time to reach the “Trillium Field” on the Panther Branch trail, you will see numerous large-flowered White Trillium, Perfoliate Bellwort, Cumberland Spurge, Spotted and Yellow Mandarin, Dwarf Ginseng, and many other wildflowers.
Learning opportunities:
- Artistic composition
- Getting adequate depth of field and a good background for a macro subject
- Isolating the subject from the background using a long lens
- Field identification of early spring wildflowers
What to bring:
- Macro lens if you have one
- Close-up accessories such as extension rings, screw on close-up lens and teleconverters
- Medium telephoto lenses
- Polarizing filter
- Reflectors and diffusers
- Tripod
- Water and Snacks
Rain gear for yourself and a rain cover for your camera in case of rain.
Walking required: The trail is an easy to moderate 4 mile in and out trail.
Driving directions: Use Google for the Frozen Head State Park Visitor Center. After everyone arrives, Kris will instruct you where you will proceed for parking. Parking is limit at Frozen Head. You may want to carpool as this is a busy time of year for visitors at the Park.
