In mid July 2011 we went to the
North Carolina Blue Ridge to see Phlox carolina in the Pink Beds just
north of Brevard. This habitat is described in Jim Locklear's book. We
drove the Blue Ridge Parkway starting at Asheville and began
seeing Phlox carolina at the Beaver Dam Gap Overlook at mile 401.9. The
plants were scattered clumps on the well drained banks above the road
at the margin of the woods. P. carolina was frequent along the road as
far as we explored, which was Looking Glass Rock Overlook at mile 417.
The best site was at mile 409.6, where there was a large population at
the entrance to the Frying Pan Mountain fire tower road at about 4950ft
in elevation. Here the plants were growing in poor gravelly soil along
with Helianthus, Rudbeckia, Solidago, and Pycnanthemum.
At about mile 410 we turned south
on NC state 276, which leads to the entrance to the Pink Beds picnic area
and hiking trails. There was occasional P. carolina along route 276,
but we did not find any at all in the Pink Beds. Most of the area is
acid wet forest with many interesting plants, but probably not suitable
for P. carolina. The drier open meadow communities mentioned by
Locklear are managed for wildlife (ie.deer) browse and any phlox that
may have been present are probably now gone.
