Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 90-minute wildflower walk at Orchard Knob Reservation in Chattanooga, on Sunday, May 7, at 2 p.m.
Attendees should meet at the reservation entrance at the intersection of Ivy Street and Orchard Knob Avenue to explore the surprising beauty of Orchard Knob with park staff, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) Botanist Dr. Joey Shaw, and local wildflower enthusiasts.
Orchard Knob was preserved as part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in order to protect this important location as it related to the 1863 Campaign for Chattanooga.
As a preserved landscape, the Knob is home to a variety of monuments and commemorative features. However, preservation had an unintended consequence – it left, largely intact, a unique ecological environment that allows a variety of unique wildflowers to thrive in the middle of Chattanooga.
Participants should wear close toed shoes, long pants, and bring a water bottle.
For more information about upcoming programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, please contact the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/chch.