Natchez Trace in Spring: Wildflowers, Woods, and a Few Surprises
We took a drive south on the Natchez Trace from Pontotoc to Brandon, and if you’ve ever been on the Trace, you know you can’t go very far without making a few stops along the way. Even with a little rain, it turned out to be a beautiful spring day. The woods were full, the roads were quiet, and patches of wildflowers—especially wild phlox—kept catching my eye.
What started out as a simple shopping trip to find my husband a recumbent bike quickly turned into something a lot more fun. We took our time, enjoyed the drive, and ended up having a great day visiting with friends along the way.
A Stop at the Visitor Center
There are so many places to pull off along the Natchez Trace and take in a little history. We stopped at the Visitor Center, and for the first time in my 75 years, I actually saw a buckeye tree.
Now, there’s so much natural beauty along the Trace—trees, shrubs, and wildflowers everywhere—you’d probably need a PhD in botany to identify it all. But the person at the Visitor Center pointed out the tree and said it was a buckeye. And sure enough, I found a few buckeyes scattered underneath the branches.
A first for me.
And Then There Was This One…
However, this next tree had all of us stumped. Even with help, we couldn’t quite pin it down. It had clusters of small green berries and soft, matte leaves—something that looked familiar, but not quite.
We tossed around a few ideas…maybe a viburnum, maybe a possumhaw (that one at least sounded like it belonged out there), or maybe something in the blueberry family.
But in the end, we just weren’t sure.
If you happen to know what this tree is, I’d love for you to tell me—leave a comment and help us solve the mystery 😊
And honestly, that’s part of the fun of a day like this—seeing something new, even if you don’t leave with all the answers.
Lunch at the Rez and the Road Home
We made our way to Shaggy’s on the Rez at the Ross Barnett Reservoir and enjoyed a great seafood lunch before heading home. It was the perfect stop—good food, good friends, a view of the water, and no real rush to be anywhere.
And those purple flowers weren’t the only ones we saw along the way. After recently recovering from a pretty severe case of poison oak—thanks to me jumping off my bike along the Tanglefoot Trail to get “just one quick picture”—I’ve learned to be a little more careful these days.
The grass was still wet from the rain, so we didn’t stop for more photos this time, but there were beautiful stretches of yellow and white wildflowers, along with Queen Anne’s lace scattered throughout. Even the magnolias were in bloom.
It was one of those drives where there’s something to see around every bend…you just have to slow down enough to notice it.
