It was late one afternoon. We were making our way from the Ogeechee Wildlife Management Area in Hancock County to the Oconee WMA in Greene County, Georgia, when we took a wrong turn. According to the GPS the road was supposed to go through. I’m sure it did at one point. The road should have continued down the hill and across a creek. But it didn’t any longer; it stopped at the top of the hill. This is often the case with rural roads. The bridges become unsafe and, if the road doesn’t carry much traffic, the bridge is closed and the road stops short of its original destination.
Near the end of this road we saw some unusual plants. I’d seen a few back down the highway but they were inaccessible. The light wasn't good but I took these shots.
The plant. This is a relatively young plant.
A closer view of the flower heads.
It didn’t take much research to identify these as Eryngium yuccifolium, known by the common names Button Eryngo, Northern Rattlesnake-master, Button Snakeroot or Yuccaleaf Eryngo. At first glance from a distance, the foliage might be mistaken for an agave or yucca, or even an iris. In bloom, however, this plant is immediately recognizable.
Two weeks later, we saw Eryngium yuccifolium plants again, growing by the roadside in rural Hancock County, Georgia. Unfortunately, these flowers were past their best but the light was better and we took the opportunity to photograph them again.
A mature plant.
A closer view of the plant.
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A closer view of a flower head.
The leaves have spines.
Close up view of a flower head and leaf.
Eryngium yuccifolium is a perennial plant native to the United States and may be found In eastern states. In Georgia, it has been documented in more counties in the coastal plain than in the Piedmont. It has not been documented formally in Hancock or Greene counties.
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Distribution:
- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium (Button Eryngo)
- North Carolina herbarium: Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium
Identification resources:
- Southeastern Flora: Eryngium yuccifolium (Yuccaleaf Eryngo)
- Missouri Plants: Eryngium yuccifolium
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Eryngium yuccifolium (Northern Rattlesnake-master, Button Snakeroot)
Related posts:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index
On our recent trip to the Piedmont NWR in Jones County, Georgia, we drove south from GA-83 into the wildlife area on Starrs Road. I saw a couple of flashes of orange in Jasper County. I month or so ago I would have dismissed them as Orange daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva). But, for the most part, daylilies have finished blooming, and these blooms seemed smaller. So… we backed up and I hopped out of the car to investigate. Sure enough, these were smaller lilies. These were Blackberry lilies (Belamcanda chinensis), also known by the common name Blackberry-lily.
From the car. The flower heads are hardly visible. They are slightly to the right of the center of the photo.
A closer view.
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Close views of an individual flower.
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After blooming, the petals twist up and then dry up. In the foreground, flowers have just completed blooming. Dried-up flowers are visible in the background still attached to the developing seed pods.
This view shows flower buds, flowers, and developing seed pods. When the seeds ripen the pod will open to reveal the seeds that look like a blackberry – hence the name Blackberry Lily.
Enjoy another posting on the Blackberry Lily from Nellie at Beyond My Garden.
Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis) is native to Japan and Korea. In the Unites States, it grows in states east of a line from Minnesota and South Dakota south to Texas. In Georgia, it has been documented in counties at the edge of the Piedmont from Elbert to Jones counties as well as in Appling County.
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Distribution:
- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Belamcanda chinensis (Blackberry Lily)
- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Belamcanda chinensis
Identification resources:
- Southeastern Flora: Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis)
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Belamcanda chinensis (Blackberry-lily)
Related posts:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index
While we were photographing the Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) at the pond in section #6 in the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in Jones County, Georgia, we noticed another pennant-like dragonfly with dark brown-black bands on the wings. I’d never seen one of these before.
You can see the general surroundings here. It was sunny with scattered clouds, and breezy with strong gusts of wind from time to time.
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This dragonfly – a female - was clasping a dead stem. Several times, she left the twig and flew in a circle before returning to the same twig about less than three feet from me – often hovering for some time before landing. Depending on the light, the bands appeared to be dark brown or almost black. This dragonfly is smaller - about 2/3 the size - than the Halloween Pennant. Like the Halloween Pennant, this pennant also seemed to enjoy the breeze.
We only saw two or three female Banded Pennants. Neither had yellow markings on the abdomen. We didn’t see any males but you can see a photograph of one here.
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Identification resources:
- Georgia Dragonfly Survey: Banded Pennant (Celithemis fasciata)
- BugGuide: Banded Pennant (Celithemis fasciata) [Male] [Female]
- Duke University: Banded Pennant (Celithemis fasciata)
Related posts:
- First Halloween Pennant of the Season
Sabatia angularis is known by the common names Rosepink, Rose-pink, Bitter-bloom, Common Marsh-pink, and Square-stem Rose Gentian. We saw this plant first in Gilmer and Pickens counties in North Georgia last July. This year, we’ve seen it in Taliaferro, Hancock, and Jasper counties. Plants are biennials and reseed.
These plants are hardly visible at a distance. The first I noticed was a flash of pale pink flower heads as we pass by. It’s only when we got up close we realized how pretty these flowers are.
Growing in full sun in a branching, bushy mode. This plant is about 18 inches tall.
Growing in complete shade as long, single stems, in this case, about 30 inches tall.
The flowers occur in panicles
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The flowers. Pink petals have a green angular spot at the base; the green spot has a narrow red margin. The stigma on these flowers hasn’t unfurled yet; the anthers are curled. The angular stem is visible in the upper photograph.
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These flowers show the stigma ‘unfolded.’ The stigma has a ‘furry’ appearance. Its shape is clear in the shadow on the petal in the lowest of the photos above.
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The backside of the flowers showing the sepals
The stems are angular and the leaves are opposite
Sabatia angularis (Rosepink) is native to the United States. It’s found in the eastern United States from Ontario in Canada and in states east of a line from Wisconsin and Michigan southwest to New Mexico. In Georgia, it’s been documented growing in several counties in the Piedmont.
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Distribution:
- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Sabatia angularis (Rosepink)
- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Sabatia angularis
Identification resources:
- Southeastern Flora: Rosepink (Sabatia angularis)
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Sabatia angularis (Rose-pink, Bitter-bloom, Common Marsh-pink)
- Missouri Plants: Sabatia angularis
- Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses: Sabatia angularis
Related posts:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index
I saw a couple as we were driving along Hwy 44 but they were orange rather than red; not good specimens. And then, as we drove along the pinewoods section of Anthony Shoals Road in the Broad River Wildlife Management Area, I spotted a cluster that was a brilliant red color. Too good to pass up. So we backed up and got out.
The light wasn’t good. The skies were dark with an impending thunderstorm and the mushrooms were growing on an embankment under the edge of a thick pine woods. So I used LED lights to take some macro shots.
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The closest identification I can arrive at, based on comparing photographs on mushroom web sites, is American Caesar’s Mushroom (Amanita jacksonii). The caps are the right color – a rich red with minute vertical striations that are clearly visible in the lower image. I’m questioning the identification because they don’t appear to have volvas and I would have thought that the volvas should still be quite visible at this stage of development. Unfortunately we weren’t able to follow the development of the cap to see if the mature cap also resembled Amanita jacksonii.
Any thoughts on this identification?
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Identification resources:
- Rodham E. Tulloss, Eticomm.net: Amanita jacksonii
- Michael Kuo, MushroomExpert.com: Amanita jacksonii
Hancock County, Georgia, must have a fairly large White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population. It’s unusual if we don’t encounter deer along rural roads in the county. Usually we see does or fawns that still have their spots. Last weekend, however, we encountered a young buck in the middle of the road just after we rounded a corner. He bounded off the road but stopped in the woods nearby.
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He gave me time for just two shots before he moved off deeper into the woods.
It was nice to see such a healthy young deer. But I hope he develops some street smarts before the hunting season in the Fall.
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Identification resource:
- University of Georgia Museum of Natural History: White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
The plant. This is a relatively young plant.
A closer view of the flower heads.
A mature plant.
A closer view of the plant.
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A closer view of a flower head. 
The leaves have spines.
Close up view of a flower head and leaf. 
