May
26th, 2016. I happened to be near Elberton last Wednesday and
decided to spend a day in Wilkes County visiting some favorite locations in
search of wildflowers. I didn’t have high hopes because it had been so dry. But
I did have some luck.
My
first stop was at the Broad River Wildlife Management Area where I found…
a
couple of Clasping Milkweed (Ascelpias
amplexicaulis) still blooming.
just
one Racemed Milkwort (Polygala polygama).
A
single Beargrass (Yucca filamentosa)
plant was blooming. It flowers were covered with…
Eastern
Leaf-footed bugs (Leptoglossus phyllopus)
that flew off when I disturbed them.
Butterfly
Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) were
blooming in several locations. Of all the wildflowers I saw, these seemed the
most comfortable with the dry conditions.
My
next stop was at a swamp on Enoch John Road where I found…
Anglefruit
Milkvine (Matelea gonocarpos) just
starting to bloom. This is one of my favorites.
At
the Kettle Creek Battlefield, I found a few more wildflowers.
Southern
Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa) were
flowering along the road embankment. I had hoped to find them on the road down
to Enoch John Road but was glad to find them here.
This
is the nicest Redring Milkweed (Asclepias
variegata) flower head I’ve seen this year. The florets were slightly
off-white compared with the pure white flowers I’ve seen in shaded areas.
A
little further along the road, I found Fire Pinks (Silene virginica) flowering at the edge of the woods.
My
final find for the day was another Beargrass with a few flowers that were
completely open.
Not
a bad ‘haul’ in an area that was so dry.
References:
Native
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Ascelpias
amplexicaulis
Native
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Polygala
polygama
Native
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Yucca
filamentosa
Bug
Guide: Leptoglossus phyllopus
Native
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Asclepias
tuberosa
Native
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Matelea
gonocarpos
Native
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Oenothera
fruticosa
Native
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Asclepias
variegata
Native
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Silene
virginica
