September 22nd, 2012. On our way
home from Rabun County, we explored the Swallow Creek Wildlife Management Area
in Towns County; a map of the WMA may be downloaded here. I’d never heard of
this WMA which has several access roads from GA-75. We drove up to the end of CynthCreek Road. .
Although most wildflowers had
finished blooming, we found a number of interesting plants and fungi that will
ensure we return again next year.
Coral Fungus
There were a number of coral fungus
under a canopy of rhododendrons. This was the best specimen, although older
than the specimen we found previously.
A close up
Aster (Unidentified species)
The flower, and its…
leaf.
Filmy or Mountain Angelica (Angelica triquinata)
I’m familiar with Hairy Angelica
(Angelica venenosa) which grows in Fort Yargo State Park in Barrow County but
this is the first time I’d seen Filmy or Mountain Angelica (A. triquinata).
It’s green flowers are quite different from the white flowers of A. venenosa.
The flower head.
A close up
A compound leaf low on the plant
Solomon's seal (Polygonatum sp.)
These stems were ‘enormous’ – I
estimated them to be 3 to 4 feet long - compared with the stems I’ve seen
locally which are only 1 to 2 feet long. They were growing on an embankment
almost at eye level so I had to content myself with photographing sections of
them. I didn’t look closely at the underside of the leaves so don’t know if
this was P. biflorum (Smooth Solomon’s Seal) or P. pubescens (Hairy Solomon’s
Seal). P. biflorum grows throughout Georgia whereas P. pubescenss grows only in
far north Georgia.
A section of the stem
A close-up of the berries
Another view of the stem
Wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens or H. radiata)
I thought this was H. arborescens,
not realizing that a similar species, H. radiata, occurred in this area also.
So, I didn’t pay enough attention to the undersides of the leaves to determine
if this was H. arborescens or H. radiata whose leaves have ‘white’ undersides.
Yet another reason to visit this area again.
The flower head with developing
seed pods.
This road may prove to be a very
interesting site to visit throughout the year based on the few plants we
photographed on this trip
Click
on an image to view a larger image
Identification Resources:
Southeastern Flora
Natural
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia:
Will
Cook, Duke University:
Distribution:
United
States Department of Agriculture Plants Database:
Related
posts:
