Scull Shoals Experimental Forest: Just Checking In

July 6^th, 2012. We made our almost-weekly stop at Scull Shoals Experimental Forest. Usually, we can drive to the end of the road to a turn-around and drive back out. But on the 6^th… 

we found the road blocked by a fallen tree trunk. It was a snag and much of the wood was rotten. But the trunk was probably about 18 inches in diameter and too large to move. So we satisfied ourselves by climbing over it and walking a little way up the road. We could check a couple of plants we have been following and were treated to a variety of wildflowers and insects.

We’d just had rain after a long drought and ants had to clear their tunnels of sand that had washed into them. There weren’t any ants in sight; just the evidence of their housekeeping.

This Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is about three feet high now and had five suckers this year. It’s long since finished blooming for the year and one of its suckers is developing seeds.

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Passionflowers vines (Passiflora incarnata) are blooming. Insects are feeding and inadvertantly fertilizing the blooms.

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Angularfruit milkvines (Matelea gonocarpos) vines are blooming. It’ll be interesting to see if any develop seedpods this year.

A Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades) skipper was flitting from bloom to bloom, feeding on the last of the Heal All (Prunella vulgaris) plants still blooming. This butterfly wasn’t posing for photos and wouldn’t let me get a good shot of the top of its wings; I’ve posted some photos of this butterfly previously.

Six-spotted Tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata). Several of these beautiful beetles were scurrying around the road and they weren’t posing for photos either. I had to make do with a zoom shot which I’ve enlarged here.

A robber fly. I don’t know what species this is. It, also, was nervous about being approached but allowed me to get this photo.

One of several Eastern Tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas) along the road was folding its wings as soon as it landed. And last, but not least, a…

Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) had a favorite perch just where we parked the pickup.

All-in-all, it was a fruitful stop even if we couldn’t get to the end of the road. Hopefully next time we visit, the snag will have been cleared from the road. It’s a long walk to the Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) flowers we’re following.

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Identification resources: 

 Southeastern Flora:

- Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit) 

- Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower, Maypop) 

- Matelea gonocarpos (Angularfruit milkvine) 

Bug Guide:

- Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades) 

- Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) 

- Eastern Tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas) 

- Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta)

Related post:

- Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades)

Plants We Find In The Woods At Dusk

We came home from Hancock County along GA-15 from Greensboro via Watkinsville. The road to Scull Shoals Historic Area is accessed via Macedonia Road from GA-15 so we decided to detour. We hadn’t been there for several months. It was too late to walk around the historic area so we decided to check out a side road we’d seen on the way in. This road wasn’t much more than a couple of tracks through the woods.

Sandy Creek, looking upstream (east) from the bridge. I took this in late November 2010.

We spotted some ducks on a log. Then they spotted us and swam off upstream. What we thought was four ducks turned out to be Mum, Dad and the 11 ducklings. They were too far away to identify.

The road ran along the south side of Sandy Creek. At this point the creek had opened out into a large swamp. Although it was sunny in the open, it was fairly dark in the woods.

And this is what we found...

Tall Thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana)

The plant

A close up of the flower. It’s a little past its best but more buds are developing and it’ll be fun to follow the development of the seed

Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora)

It was late enough that we weren’t really looking for plants but, then, on a curve in the road, W spotted the characteristic profile of the Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora). We found 6 to 7 plants at this location. This plant has set three umbels and another plant is beginning to set blooms.

A closer view of an individual umbel

We were excited to see these plants. Previously, in addition to a plant that grows in our field, we’d only found them by the roadside in both Wilkes County and southeast Walton County. Unfortunately these roadside plants may have been destroyed when the roads were graded during the Winter. In this location in Greene County, it’s unlikely that the plants will be damaged.

Trillium species

This, obviously, is a trillium. It’s a big trillium with slightly mottled leaves and an erect flower

A closer view. It will be interesting to see which species this is. I have a bet with myself but I'm not telling.

Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

I’d never seen a Jack-in-the-pulpit before. It’s much larger than I’d imagined. Gigantic compared with what I’d imagined. This plant was about 2 feet tall and almost as wide.

It had bloomed and the fruit are forming. I’ll be following this plant for a while

It looks like this area will be interesting for early Spring flowering plants. We'll be coming back here a lot.

We have a habit of checking out ‘just one last thing’ on our way home. It was dusk so we had to use artificial lighting. I hate flash and only use it for distance shots when I have to. Since my camera won’t shoot macro shots with flash, I use a Yongnuo SYD-0808 digital LED array even though I have to shoot often at 1/50th second.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Distribution:
United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database:
- Anemone virginiana (Tall Thimbleweed)
- Asclepias viridiflora (Green Comet Milkweed)
- Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit)

Identification resources:
Southeastern Flora:
- Tall Thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana)
- Green comet milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora)
- Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Related posts:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index
- Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 1, Oconee River – Sandy Creek
- Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 2, Town Ruins – Store
- Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 3, Town Ruins – Arched Bridge & Power Plant
- Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 4, Town Ruins – Oconee River Bridge & Superintendent’s House