These pretty flowers go by the full name of
Houstonia purpurea var. montana and are commonly known as Roan Mountain Bluets named after one of the mountain tops where they occur. This patch of them was growing on top of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina though, and not on Roan Mountain in Tennessee, and one of the Grandfather Mountain naturalists was actually up there watching over them and confirming that these are the Roan Mountain Bluets. Their range is limited to the Southern Appalachian mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina and they have been listed federally as
endangered species in the US since 1990.Their prime threat: trampling by humans in quest of recreation in nature. The saying goes that hikers should: "Take only pictures, leave only footprints." A lot of people don't realize that in the case of fragile plant communities on rocky outcrops even a footprint can cause great and lasting destruction. If you are hiking in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains and encounter signs asking you to stay on the trails, please don't go climbing and trampling around on the rocks. There is usually a good reason those signs are there and by staying on the trails you are likely contributing to the protection of endangered species like this.
