After lunch at the Mt. Mitchell restaurant, we decided to head over to Roaring Fork Falls.
It was late in the afternoon so the lighting at the falls should be good. We arrived at the
parking area just after 4 p.m. Along the way to the falls, we spotted several interesting
plants. Of course we took time to get a few shots. The first one was Indian Pipes or
Monotropa. Often mistaken for fungi because it lacks chlorophyll, Monotropa is a flowering
plant that derives its nutrients from being parasitic on fungi growing in the soil. These
fungi are mycorrhizal with living trees, and thus the energy ultimately comes from
photosynthesis of the tree, passing through the fungus onto the Monotropa.