Desoto State Park Wildflowers

At the end of April, I went on a road trip with Doug and Beth Powell to Desoto State Park in Northeast Alabama.  Desoto is located at the end of the mountain range that is Lookout Mountain and is known for the abundance of wildflowers and numerous waterfalls.
However, the 80 degree weather in the South in February and March had forced the wildflowers out of hiding early and we found very few blooms.
All was not lost, however, as the mountain laurel and rhododendron were blooming beautifully and the hiking trails were great exercise.  The waterfalls were still flowing and Desoto Falls was especially impressive.  Mountain laurel were blooming in abundance near the falls and around the lake created by the dam above the falls.
Adjacent to Desoto State Park is Little River Canyon, a national preserve and the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi.  Here the trail next to the river revealed a few wildflowers, but the best was the beautiful Jack in the Pulpit pictured here.