The hills, mountains, and fields around these parts of North Carolina get the right amount of moisture and sunshine to go green and stay green most of the year.

But the majority of trees are deciduous, and the climate has a definite winter season.

In early May, we were exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway east of Asheville, and stopped at the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center.

This location is at an elevation of 5500 feet, and shows the effects of that elevation on its forest. The trees are smaller, and the moss and lichen growing on them are heavier. This is apparently because of the lower temperature, the frequent fog & rain, and the shorter growing season.

I was surprised at the appearance of these trees growing on the west side of the overlook there. Although the distant hills seem to be uniformly green, in fact only the lower elevations are that way. Up high like these close trees, only small buds are showing. In the second half of May!

We stopped there a week ago, and there’s no picture to be taken, because the foliage of this grove now blocks the view!