Monday, April 29, 2013

Spring Wildflowers at Dicks Creek (Part 1)

April 13th, 2013. The rangers at Dockery Lake had told us that trilliums were blooming at Dicks Creek in the Chestatee Wildlife Management Area. After it proved that Boggs Creek Recreation Area would be a productive site for wildflowers, we wanted to go over the Dicks Creek and check out the trilliums there. We had started along the road to Dicks Creek previously but abandoned that trip in favor of visiting Boggs Creek. Now it was time to go back and follow the road into Dicks Creek.
 
The road into Dicks Creek passes through a lot of privately owned land before it reaches the wildlife management area. The road side had been mowed and the area didn’t look very promising. Our first reward for persisting was…




coming around a bend in the road and getting a beautiful view of a waterfall on Dicks Creek. 


We continued up the road and it was a while before we found our first prizes of the afternoon. In the open, on a west-facing slope, we found a patch of



Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple, May Apple, May-apple, American Mandrake) plants,



Most plants were single-stemmed and not setting blooms. Only a few had ‘split’ stems with developing buds. Mayapples may be found in many counties in the Piedmont counties in Georgia.


And, hiding in plan sight on the embankment below them was a row of…


Thalictrum thalictroides (Rue anemone, Windflower, Rue-anemone) plants in bloom. This species may also be found in the Piedmont counties in Georgia



An individual flower. These plants always look too delicate to be thriving and flowering in full sunlight.


The road continued along the hillside in a relatively open area above the creek and we spotted plants I would have expected to find in more sheltered areas.



A couple of Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon’s Seal) plants that were…


Beginning to set blooms. These plants are also found in the Piedmont counties of Georgia.
From the open area, the road passed by a series of steep, sheltered embankments that were moist compared with the open areas. Here we found promise of a variety of wildflowers.



Iris – probably Iris cristata (Dwarf Crested Iris) - were sprouting. This species is found mostly in north Georgia counties.


We found a single plant in bloom, a harbinger of things to come.


Epigaea repens (Trailing arbutus, Mayflower) plants were still in bloom on a couple of embankments. This species is found mainly in the Piedmont counties of Georgia.


A close view of the flowers.

We also saw some Goodyera pubescens (Downy Rattlesnake Plantain) plants on the embankments. It’ll be a couple of months before these bloom. These are also found in the Piedmont counties of Georgia.


Another surprise. We found a couple of Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot, Red Puccoon) plants.
This species may be found in some coastal plain counties as well as in Piedmont counties.


This plant had bloomed as indicated by the developing seed capsule.


In this section of the road, we had seen some favorites and also some new wildflower plants – Trailing Arbutus, Dwarf Crested iris, and Bloodroot.



The road forded Dicks Creek and climbed up the side of the hills to parallel the creek at a slightly higher elevation. There were some treasures still to come...

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Identification Resources:

Southeastern Flora

 
Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia:



Distribution:

United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database:

- Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple)
 
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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Wildflowers at Boggs Creek Recreation Area: Take Two (Part 3)

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April 13th, 2013. It was clear from our trip to  Boggs Creek Recreation Area in the Chestatee Wildlife Management in Lumpkin County on March 30th that this would be an interesting place to follow through the Spring wildflower season. Particularly, a couple of developing wildflowers – a trillium and a plant with fern-like leaves – had piqued our interest and we wanted to identify them. From our first stop at the trilliums and the creekside, we drove up to the end of the road again.

Bracket fungus


We found an impressive display of bracket fungi on a fallen log beside the road. Rarely to we find so many fine specimens.


A closer view of the largest from the side, and…

above.



One bracket had been knocked off the log and allowed an easy photograph of its identity as a polypore.



Stellaria pubera (Star Chickweed, Giant Chickweed, Great Chickweed)

This species is found mainly in the Piedmont counties in Georgia.


We found a carpet of plants at the base of a tree. (This was the only place that we saw such a thick growth of these plants. In other locations, we saw only individual plants that certainly didn’t grab our attention in the way that this patch did.)
 
A closer view of the patch.


Opposite leaves…

Calyces, and…



Close views of the flowers.


Erigeron pulchellus (Robin’s Plantain)

This species is found mainly in the Piedmont counties in Georgia. As we drove north, we began to see…




 
patches of ‘daisies’ beside the road (Taken on April 26th). They made striking displays. We found some patches at Boggs Creek.


Individual plants were only about 9 to 10 inches tall with a small rosette of leaves at the base, thick stems and clusters of flowers.

A cluster of flowers

A closer view of the leaves and stem  
 

The characteristic calyces


A simple, elegant flower.


Until next time at Boggs Creek…

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Identification Resources:

Southeastern Flora



Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia:




Distribution:

United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database:



Related post:



Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Wildflowers at Boggs Creek Recreation Area: Take Two (Part 2)


April 13th, 2013. It was clear from our trip to  Boggs Creek RecreationArea in the Chestatee Wildlife Management in Lumpkin County on March 30th that this would be an interesting place to follow through the Spring wildflower season. Particularly, a couple of developing wildflowers – a trillium and a plant with fern-like leaves – had piqued our interest and we wanted to identify them. We crossed the road to where we had seen the Viola hastata plants in bloom to see if there were new wildflowers in bloom.

The creek bank where we found the Viola hastata blooms on our previous visit.

Iris
This looks like a dwarf iris but time will tell.

 We found a patch of iris plants had emerged during the previous two weeks.

A closer view

An individual plant.

Tiarella cordifolia (Heartleaf Foamflower, Foamflower, Mountain Foamflower, False Miterwort)


An individual plant in bloom


Young buds


Just starting to open; none of the flowers has opened fully.


Flowers at the bottom of the spike have opened.


A closer view of individual flowers


The leaves of most plants were an even green but a leaves of some plants had darker patches at their centers.

Pedicularis canadensis (Canadian Lousewort, Lousewort, Wood Betony, Eastern Lousewort, Fernleaf)
The ‘native’ form of this species has cream flowers; a form with maroon flowers is a variant of this species.


Most of the flowers we found were deep maroon, whereas some were


Intermediate between the original cream form and the deep maroon form.




An individual flower

From here we drove up to the end of the road…
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Identification Resources:
Southeastern Flora

Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: 

Distribution:
United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database:

Related post: