Guild Trail:
A present tense journey in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
That milkweed plant is blooming along Guild Trail right now. A hiker leaving the St. Elmo neighborhood in Chattanooga’s southside ascends the first third of Lookout Mountain on a gentle slope that seems to end at the parking lot of Ruby Falls, a commercial cave and tourist attraction. The trail continues beyond the parking lot.
Hikers, cyclists, dog walkers, and casual visitors use the Guild Trail and pass numerous wildflowers that enhance the view this time of year. This recreational facility is seeing more use with new housing developments completed and more planned on the southside.
The Lookout Mountain Conservancy manages land surrounding the trail and has constructed new trails that lead to multiple bouldering opportunities. These are marked and rated for difficulty, providing another recreational opportunity here.
I live on the side of the mountain overlooking Chattanooga and the Tennessee River. Guild Trail is easily accessible, thanks to a well-worn footpath, and the surrounding trees there buffer the noise from Interstate 24, audible from my porch. The trail provides respite when my ears feel overwhelmed.
At the intersection of here and now, the butterfly milkweed blooms on Guild Trail. I first photographed it Sunday evening using the iNaturalist app on my phone. The observation was instantly added to a database accessible to researchers and subject to confirmation or modification by expert members of the iNaturalist community.
On Monday, one expert verified my identification of the orange-flowered plant as a butterfly milkweed, Asclepius tuberosa. The observation was labeled “research grade.” Later that day, another expert refined the identification to subspecies, Asclepius tuberosa interior.
Here is a list of things you might see along Guild Trail. Butterfly milkweed Common eastern bumblebee Carolina horsenettle American trumpet vine Brown-eyed Susan Purple coneflower Red admiral butterfly Christmas fern Wild potato vine Gray-headed coneflower Wild Bergamont Kudzu
