Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge: In Search Of Dimpled Troutlilies (Part 2)

February 27^th. (Continued from…) We usually make two to three trips to the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge each year. Originally we went to look for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and, although we’ve never managed to sight one yet, the refuge is scenic and home to a number of wildflowers which reward us for the effort of making the trips. 

We forded Allisons Creek on Field Pasture Road. On the north side of the ford and immediately to the right is a large ledge above the creek. It is here that we find a number of wildflowers. Dimpled Troutlilies (Erythronium umbilicatum) grow near the trees by the road and along the slope behind the ledge. We didn’t see any flowers as we approached the area but after wandering around the area, we found… 

some leaves. And then, 

  

a bud, in this case not far from blooming. Finally, we were rewarded with… 

a flower. 

It has opened only recently; the anthers haven’t started to release pollen. We finally found two flowers. 

We wandered about for a little while in search of other treasures. There was no sign of Little Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) leaves yet. We did find… 

a nice shield lichen, probably a Parmotrema sp., and a… 

Witch’s Butter (Tremella mesenterica). 

There were signs of wildflowers from last year; Elephant’s Foot (Elephantopus sp.).

There were leaves of new life - a violet (Viola sp.), and.. 

another plant, possibly False Garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve) which is an early bloomer in this area. 

After we left this area, we continued along Field Pasture Road. There are a couple of colonies of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers (Leuconotopicus borealis) along this road including some new nests. 

Trees with nests are marked with a white ring around the trunk. 

Many of the nests are man-made. 

At the intersection of Field Pasture, Sugar Hill, and Bridge-Out roads, we turned west and drove down to the ford over Stalking Head Creek. We decided not to ford the creek which has very steep, sandy approaches. 

  

We drove back to Field Pasture Road past some old house ruins. I’ve not been able to find any record of what the building was; a private residence or, perhaps, a ‘hotel’ for travelers along this road. All that remains is the chimney colonized by Resurrection Fern and the stone foundations of an out-building. 

We continued north on Field Pasture Road and west on Anderson Bottoms Road where pools filled with recent rains were breeding pools in which Southeastern (Upland) Chorus (Pseudacris feriarum) frogs were calling. 

We drove south on Natural Rock Crossing Road to the ford on Stalking Head Creek and decided, again, not to attempt a crossing on this hard-to-approach crossing. A note that there's not much traffic on these roads and it's best to be cautious; help won't be coming any time soon.

We drove back north to North and Pond 7A roads, past Pond 7A, and back to Starr Road before driving back to Monticello. 

It’s always hard to gauge when the Dimpled Troutlilies will be blooming at the Piedmont NWR but we were lucky enough to be rewarded with a couple of flowers. 

Related post: 

- Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge: In Search Of DimpledTroutlilies (Part 1)

Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge: In Search Of Dimpled Troutlilies (Part 1)

February 27^th. We usually make two to three trips to the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge each year. Originally we went to look for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Leuconotopicus borealis) and, although we’ve never managed to sight one yet, the refuge is scenic and home to a number of wildflowers which reward us for the effort of making the trips. 

We usually enter from the GA-83 to the north via Starr Road which becomes Barton Russell Road in Jones County. 

The area immediately north of the refuge is open pine forest. The trees still show signs of a controlled burn made several years ago. 

Our first stop is at Pond 6A. The water is still brown from silt suspended by recent rain. 

The road passing by Tribble Fields. At the south end of Tribble Fields, the road rises through a cut. 

Several old trees on the west side of the cut host colonies of Resurrection Fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides). The fern dries during dry periods and appears to be dead, but then ‘resurrects’ when moisture is available. 

Many fronds show dimples associated with fruiting. 

The sporangia from which the spores are released are on the underside of the leaf. 

Nearby, I found a nice specimen of Old Man’s Beard (Usnea strigosa) lichen on a fallen twig. The round discs are the fruiting bodies of this lichen. 

Our next stop is Pond 2A which means crossing Little Falling Creek. The water cascades over a solid rock creed bed at the road crossing. In mid- to late summer, there is often little or no water flow in the creek. On this trip, however, water is flowing. And we could hear Southeastern (Upland) Chorus frogs (Pseudacris feriarum) calling in small pools on the western bank on the south side of the bridge. 

Pond 2A was above full pool due to recent rains. Trees along the north shore were showing damage due to a controlled burn in this area. 

Water was pouring from the overflow into Little Falling Creek. 

A new addition to the refuge; named road signs (some of which are now also on Google Maps). We have always had to navigate according to the section numbers in the refuge but now we have road names! Cut-Through Road takes us down to Round Oak Juliette Road. 

The area on the east side of Cut-Through Road had been burned; the area on the west side had not. The contrast is striking. 

Little Falling Creek has to be forded before we reach Round Oak Juliette Road. The water level was higher than we’ve seen in a long time. 

Signs warn of the danger of flash floods. 

The water flow looked a little daunting but we know the bottom is lined with rocks so…

in we go. It looks more dramatic than in actually is. The water level was only as deep as the axle on the Ford Ranger. 

We drove down Round Oak Juliette Road and back into the refuge on Field Pasture Road. After fording Allisons creek, it’s time to stop and look for Dimpled Troutlilies on the ledge above the creek.

Bluestem Grasses (Andropogon sp.)

November 17th, 2014. It’s that time of year… The bluestem grasses are blooming. These are the bluestems I’ve been tracking for several years.

Broomsedge Bluestem (Andropogon virginicus) is, by far, the most widespread bluestem In our area.

From a distance, the plants often just look like ‘bushy’ brown stalks; the flowers may not be obvious.

The flowers are dominated by the bracts. This is an unusually impressive example of this species.

Splitbeard Bluestem (Andropogon ternarius) is not as common as the Broomsedge Bluestem in our area. I had noticed this species in previous years but have only really appreciated it this year. 

From a distance, the plants are not ‘bushy’ and the flowers are very much more obvious than they are on the Broomsedge Bluestem. This plant is an excellent example of this species; most of the flowers are fully opened and clearly exhibiting the ‘splitbeard’ shape for which the species is names. 

A close view of the flower. 

Bushy Bluestem (Andropogon glomeratus). I haven’t seen this species in eastern Walton County, Georgia,  but I’ve seen a few plants in Barrow County. I’ve seen this species more frequently in Wilkes, Greene, and Jones counties. The plants are easily recognized by their bushy tops.

This is a field of plants in Wilkes County, Georgia

Some isolated plants in the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in Jones County, Georgia.

A close-up of the flowers.

Elliott’s Bluestem (Andropogon gyrans) is another species I haven’t seen in Walton County, Georgia. I first saw this species in the Piedmont NWR and I've seen it occasionally in Greene County. 

From a distance, the plants are recognizable by their ‘fan-shaped’ tips.  These plants are surrounded by Broomsedge Bluestem.

 

Close-up of the plant. The flower bracts and leaf sheaths form the fan-shaped appearance and the flowers peak out from them.