Cades Cove in the heat of the summer

 We went to Cades Cove Sunday.  It was HOT, so not too many animals out and about.  The flowers were pretty.  First we saw some gladiolus in the edge of the woods.  The trees are growing up so that they don't bloom as well as they would out in the open.  This one looks so delicate.

 The Rosebay Rhododendron was in full bloom all along the highways especially next to the streams. 

 And there ARE bears in the cove too.

 This is the waterfall when you first leave the Townsend Y, headed toward Cades Cove.

It was nice that Jimmy could take a day off for us to just be together.

Dog Hobble - (Leucothoe fontanesiana)

Dog Hobble is another beautiful wildflower. These photos were taken in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park during the 58th annual Wildflower Pilgrimage this past April. It was raining that morning and it created a different appearance in the photographs. Since first seeing in the park I have now seen in landscape.