Non-flowering species also include some 50 ferns and fern allies and at least one horsetail. The park is also a global center for non-flowering plants, including 450 bryophytes-mosses, liverworts, and a few hornworts. From mid-June to mid-July, extravagant displays of mountain laurel, rhododendron, azalea, and other heath family shrubs flower en masse, especially on high elevation heath balds. From mid-April to mid-May, spring ephemeral wildflowers bloom profusely in the deciduous forests during a brief window of growth before trees leaf-out and shade the forest floor. Variations in elevation, rainfall, temperature, and geology in these ancient mountains provide ideal habitat for over 1,600 species of flowering plants, including 100 native tree species and over 100 native shrub species. Established in 1934, the park was created from more than 6,000 tracts of private and commercial land that were bought with money raised by public and private donations. Life for many of these families changed with the coming of commercial logging operations around 1900 that stripped trees from three-quarters of what is now park land. Most families depended on farming for their livelihood. Cherokee Indians moved into the area about 1,000 years ago, and permanent white settlement began around 1800. The Smokies also have a rich cultural history.In terms of biological diversity, a walk from mountain base to peak is often compared to the 2,000 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine With over 500,000 acres of forest, the Smokies contain an enormous variety of plants and animals. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the largest protected land areas east of the Rocky Mountains.Great Smokey Mountains By: Shavona Kennedyīiome Type & Climate Winter Spring Temperate Rain Forest Fall Summer
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