March 20th. I’ve started to walk at Fort Yargo
State Park in Winder, Georgia.
One of my walks is from the Group Shelter A to the Old Fort
and back. This is a rewarding walk for viewing wildflowers
The route which I described here. It was still early in the
season and I didn’t expect to find much in the way of plants but the weather
forecast was for fog and I wanted to take some photographs along the lake shore
in the fog.
Looking north along the shore. There wasn’t much fog but the
atmosphere was quite gloomy.
Along the trail. The brown colors provided a sense of
warmth.
The lake was full; no sign of the ‘beach’ I saw on my
previous walk.
I crossed the bridge.
I checked the oak that was still holding onto its leaves.
An acorn was still attached but, when I checked it, I found
a tiny hole that indicated that an insect had gotten there first. No wonder it was still attached. No squirrel was interested in it.
Upon closer examination, I found shoots.
Next to the fence above the cliff.
Rattlesnake weed (Hieracium venosum) plants were starting to
grow along the embankment.
As I came down into the fishing area, I found a Red Maple
(Acer rubrum) flower in a branch that had fallen during the recent ice event
but which had hung up on another tree branch.
On checking some small shrubs along the shore in the fishing
area, I noticed this mantis egg case.
The fertilized female flowers of the Hazel Alder (Alnus
serrulata) were starting to swell.
Last years cones still clung to some branches.
Leaves of the Green Arrow Arum (Peltandra virginica) were
pushing up in the shallow waters around the fishing area.
Looking along the ‘Rock Garden’ shore north of the fishing
area. On my previous visit, I had to shuffle my way through dead leaves. There
was no sign of the path. If I hadn’t known that the path was there, I wouldn’t
have walked there. On this visit it was apparent that a few people, probably
fishermen, had ventured along the path.
Looking back along the shore to the point at the fishing
area.
Old Turkey Tail-like bracket fungi that had been colonized
by algae.
More signs of new growth. A leaf bud of the Southern
Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora).
Some
of the larger boulders in the Rock Garden.
A
particularly bright green lichen growing on one of the boulders.
Resurrection
Ferns (Pleopeltis polypodiodes) grow on trees and rocks in a very limited area
in the Rock Garden. These colonies are at the base of a tree and the rocks
nearby.
A
closer view of the smaller colonies on the rocks. The lower colony is just
getting started.
Another
colony was growing in the crevice between the split trunk of the tree.
To
be continued…
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