Here is a small sample of what’s found in the beautiful Jellico Mountains. These photos were taken along Little Wolf Creek and Jackson Creek.

Seasons

Rainbows in spring
Thunderstorms in summer
Beautiful colors in fall
Occasional heavy snow in winter

Mammals

Lots of new fawns each spring
No shortage of deer here
Buck laying low as hunting season begins
Coyote
Beaver
Black Bear!

More photos below…

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Birds

Barred Owl
Blue Heron
American Coots resting for a day on their annual migration south

Amphibians

Red Eft
American Bullfrog, which is Kentucky’s largest frog, growing to 8 inches long

Reptiles

Box Turtle
Black Racer
The venomous Timber Rattlesnake

Insects

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Praying Mantis
Honey Bee covered in pollen
Feather-Legged Fly
Surprisingly docile Southern Unstriped Scorpion

Wildflowers

Maypop, aka Purple Passion Flower
Annual bloom of Tickseed Sunflowers
Cardinal Flower

More photos below…

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Fungi

Mushroom cluster
White fungi
Home of Keebler elves
Delicious Lion’s Mane (never eat wild mushrooms unless you are an expert!)

Lichens

Giant patch of blue lichen on a rock
Medicinal Usnea appears almost alien

Moss

Moss is seemingly everywhere on everything
Moss-covered boulder

Water

Waterfalls appear after a rain
Pyramid Falls
Jackson Creek
Colorful pond

Ridgetops

Hurricane Ridge
Giant alcove

Endangered Species

In the Jellico Mountains, the Cumberland Darter has been found in Marsh Creek and Little Wolf Creek. The Black Sided Dace has been found in various branches of Jellico Creek.

Blackside Dace

Uncommon Species

We haven’t personally found any endangered species in the Jellico Mountains, but we’ve spotted a few uncommon species.

Blue fungus, which doesn’t often pop into mushrooms like these
American Climbing Fern, which became the first protected plant species in the United States in 1869
Asiatic Dayflower, which lasts for one day only

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Image Credits:
> Arrows – by OpenClipart-Vectors – pixabay.com/vectors/arrow-button-right-next-forward-153644/
> Blackside Dace – Dick Biggins, USFWS – commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phoxinus_cumberlandensis.jpg
> Divider – by Gordon Johnson – pixabay.com/users/gdj-1086657/
> All other photos – by Timm Martin