Even now, in mid-spring, there are enough wildflowers blooming to make a typical walk in the woods into a hunting trip. Naturalist Bruce Beerbower and biology professor Karen McDougal have been observing the wonders of the outdoors for much of their lives. Here are their tips for having a great wildflower hike.

We see the bashful head of a nodding trillium, the fragile, puffed, pink heart of a lady slipper, the candy-colored buttons of a fat mountain laurel.
What we can’t see this time of year, the secret those shy wildflowers won’t betray when we stoop to inspect the delicate veins on their petals, is their mad dash to preserve the species. It is a silent action movie, a season of “24” with a growing tree canopy in place of an ever-ticking digital clock.

9 wildflowers you can find around Hickory