Great Balsam Mountains
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Great Balsam Mountains
The Great Balsam Mountains, or Balsam Mountains, are in the mountain region of western North Carolina, United States. The Great Balsams are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which in turn are a part of the Appalachian Mountains. The most famous peak in the Great Balsam range is Cold Mountain, which is the centerpiece of author Charles Frazier's bestselling novel '' Cold Mountain''. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs along its length and at Richland Balsam (milepost 431), the Parkway is at its highest point (6053 feet). Peaks * Richland Balsam – 6410 feet * Black Balsam Knob – 6214 feet * Mount Hardy – 6120 feet * Reinhart Knob – 6080 feet * Grassy Cove Top – 6040 feet * Tennent Mountain – 6040 feet * Sam Knob – 6040 feet * Cold Mountain – 6030 feet * Shining Rock – 6040 feet * Chestnut Bald () Other landmarks * Balsam Gap * Devil's Courthouse * Judaculla Rock (see Tsul 'Kalu; photos) * Tanasee Bald (see Tsul 'Kalu) Flora The area consists of a t ...
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Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It runs mostly along the spine of the Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains. Its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 441 (US 441) on the boundary between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, from which it travels north to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The roadway continues through Shenandoah as Skyline Drive, a similar scenic road which is managed by a different National Park Service unit. Both Skyline Drive and the Virginia portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway are part of Virginia State Route 48 (SR 48), though this designation is not signed ...
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Tanasee Bald
Tanasee Bald, also called Tennessee Bald, is a mountain near the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina, on the Haywood/Transylvania border. It is 5561 feet high. It is in the Great Balsam Mountains within the Blue Ridge Mountains, which is part of the Appalachian Mountains Tanasee Bald is the southern limit of breeding of the northern saw-whet owl, which is from the boreal forests of Canada. Myth of Jutaculla Cherokee folklore is that Jutaculla (alternative English spelling is Judaculla; Cherokee name is Tsul'kălû'), a slant-eyed giant, lives on top of the bald. p 479 See also *List of mountains in North Carolina This article lists notable mountains in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Highest mountains The following sortable table lists the 20 highest mountain peaks of North Carolina with at least of topographic prominence.
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Southern Sixers
In peak bagging terminology in the United States, the Southern Sixers refers to the group of mountains in the southern states of North Carolina and Tennessee with elevations above sea level of at least six thousand feet (1829 m). The southern sixers are the tallest group of mountains in the eastern United States and the only peaks in the Appalachian Mountains besides New Hampshire's Mount Washington to exceed 6,000 feet. Most of these mountains are located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (abbreviated GSMNP in the list), Mount Mitchell State Park (MMSP), along the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP), or in the Cherokee or Pisgah National Forest. There are a few, though, that are located on private property. All of these mountains are located within of the North Carolina - Tennessee border, with 12 on the state border itself and many more on various county borders. Those who complete a list of 40 of these peaks are awarded membership in the South Beyond 6000 club. List of Souther ...
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Mountain Ranges Of North Carolina
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher than a hill, typically rising at least 300 metres (1,000 feet) above the surrounding land. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in mountain ranges. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces, erosion, or volcanism, which act on time scales of up to tens of millions of years. Once mountain building ceases, mountains are slowly leveled through the action of weathering, through slumping and other forms of mass wasting, as well as through erosion by rivers and glaciers. High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level at similar latitude. These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains: different elevations have different plants and animals. Because of the less hospitable terrain and ...
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List Of Mountains In North Carolina
This article lists notable mountains in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Highest mountains The following sortable table lists the 20 highest mountain peaks of North Carolina with at least of topographic prominence.North Carolina 5000-foot Peaks
Peakbagger.com Retrieved 20 August 2016.
Listings found elsewhere may not necessarily agree because they do not include each of these mountains.


Other mountains


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Flame Azalea
''Rhododendron calendulaceum'', the flame azalea, is a species of ''Rhododendron'' native to North America. All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans. Description It is a deciduous shrub, 120–450 cm tall. The leaves are simple, 3–7 cm long, slightly dull green above and villous below. The arrangement is generally alternate, however they appear whorled towards the tips of the branches. The flowers are 4–5 cm long, usually bright orange, but can vary from pastel orange to dark reddish-orange. These non-fragrant flowers have 4-5 lobes and grow in clusters of 5–10. It typically blooms in late May and early June. Distribution This species of ''Rhododendron'' is native to the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States, ranging from southern Pennsylvania and Ohio to northern Georgia. It has been reported historically in New York and Maryland, however its current native status in these states is undetermined. However, it can occur as an introduc ...
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Rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan region, but smaller numbers occur elsewhere in Asia, and in North America, Europe and Australia. It is the national flower of Nepal, the state flower of Washington and West Virginia in the United States, the state flower of Nagaland in India, the provincial flower of Jiangxi in China and the state tree of Sikkim and Uttarakhand in India. Most species have brightly colored flowers which bloom from late winter through to early summer. Azaleas make up two subgenera of ''Rhododendron''. They are distinguished from "true" rhododendrons by having only five anthers per flower. Species Description ''Rhododendron'' is a genus of shrubs and small to (rarely) large trees, the smallest species growing to t ...
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Kalmia Latifolia
''Kalmia latifolia'', the mountain laurel, calico-bush, or spoonwood, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, that is native to the eastern United States. Its range stretches from southern Maine south to northern Florida, and west to Indiana and Louisiana. Mountain laurel is the state flower of Connecticut and Pennsylvania. It is the namesake of Laurel County in Kentucky, the city of Laurel, Mississippi, and the Laurel Highlands in southwestern Pennsylvania. Growth ''Kalmia latifolia'' is an evergreen shrub growing tall. The leaves are 3–12 cm long and 1–4 cm wide. The flowers are hexagonal, sometimes appearing to be pentagonal, ranging from light pink to white, and occur in clusters. There are several named cultivars that have darker shades of pink, red and maroon. It blooms in May and June. All parts of the plant are poisonous. The roots are fibrous and matted. The plant is naturally found on rocky slopes and mountainous forest areas. I ...
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Rhododendron Calendulaceum
''Rhododendron calendulaceum'', the flame azalea, is a species of '' Rhododendron'' native to North America. All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans. Description It is a deciduous shrub, 120–450 cm tall. The leaves are simple, 3–7 cm long, slightly dull green above and villous below. The arrangement is generally alternate, however they appear whorled towards the tips of the branches. The flowers are 4–5 cm long, usually bright orange, but can vary from pastel orange to dark reddish-orange. These non-fragrant flowers have 4-5 lobes and grow in clusters of 5–10. It typically blooms in late May and early June. Distribution This species of ''Rhododendron'' is native to the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States, ranging from southern Pennsylvania and Ohio to northern Georgia. It has been reported historically in New York and Maryland, however its current native status in these states is undetermined. However, it can occur as an int ...
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Rhododendron Catawbiense
''Rhododendron catawbiense'', with common names Catawba rosebay, Catawba rhododendron, mountain rosebay, purple ivy, purple laurel, purple rhododendron, red laurel, rosebay, rosebay laurel, is a species of '' Rhododendron'' native to the eastern United States, growing mainly in the southern Appalachian Mountains from Virginia south to northern Alabama. It is a dense, suckering shrub growing to 3 m tall, rarely 5 m. The leaves are evergreen, 6–12 cm long and 2–4 cm broad. The flowers are 3-4.5 cm diameter, violet-purple, often with small spots or streaks. The fruit is a dry capsule 15–20 mm long, containing numerous small seeds. The species is named after the Catawba River. Classification ''Rhododendron catawbiense'' belongs to the '' Subgenus Hymenanthes'', within which it is further assigned to '' Section Ponticum'' and '' Subsection Pontica''. The latter — one of the 24 subsections of ''Ponticum'' — also contains about a dozen other species. Th ...
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Red Spruce
''Picea rubens'', commonly known as red spruce, is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia, west to the Adirondack Mountains and south through New England along the Appalachians to western North Carolina.Farjon, A. (1990). ''Pinaceae. Drawings and Descriptions of the Genera''. Koeltz Scientific Books . This species is also known as yellow spruce, West Virginia spruce, eastern spruce, and he-balsam. Description Red spruce is a perennial, shade-tolerant, late successional coniferous tree that under optimal conditions grows to tall with a trunk diameter of about , though exceptional specimens can reach tall and in diameter. It has a narrow conical crown. The leaves are needle-like, yellow-green, long, four-sided, curved, with a sharp point, and extend from all sides of the twig. The bark is gray-brown on the surface and red-brown on the inside, thin, and scaly. The wood is light, soft, has narrow rings, and has a sligh ...
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Balsam Woolly Adelgid
Balsam woolly adelgids (''Adelges piceae'') are small wingless insects that infest and kill firs, especially balsam fir and Fraser fir. They are an invasive species from Europe introduced to the United States around 1900. Because this species is not native to the United States, the Fraser fir has not evolved any type of defense against it. Reproduction These insects typically lay about one hundred eggs and have three generations per year. The adelgid attacks the tree by feeding in fissures within the bark of trees larger than about four centimeters in diameter at breast height. As it feeds, it releases toxins contained within its saliva. These toxins reduce the conductance of sapwood being built, which causes water stress and kills the trees. Impact The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling North Carolina and Tennessee in the Southeastern United States, contains about 75% of all southern spruce-fir ecosystems. These ecosystems covered vast portions of the Southea ...
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