Saxon-Norman-Broad, Wilkes County, Georgia: Down In The Creek Bottom

March 23rd, 2012. We had a few hours. The weather wasn’t great but we felt like getting out. So we drove one of the back roads in Wilkes County, Georgia. We drove out to Lexington on US-78 and turned north on GA-77 to the road marked as the Saxon-Mattox Road. It’s the last road before the Broad River crossing. This road runs from Saxon to Norman and then to Broad. On DeLorme’s Georgia Atlas & Gazetteer, the road begins as Goose Pond Road and then becomes CR-113 to Norman. The section from Norman to Broad is Norman Rd NE. We didn’t really expect to see much but we were really in for a pleasant surprise. This road runs roughly parallel to the Broad River through dry pine and deciduous forests. Periodically the road dips to cross creeks that drain into the Broad River.

The road dropped from the dry, open pine forests into the creek bottoms that were predominantly deciduous forests.

The creeks had deep beds that had resulted from eons of erosion as water drained down to the Broad River. In addition to the Virginia Springbeauty (Claytonia virginica) flowers, we found…

Vaccinium arboreum (Sparkleberry). I wasn’t paying much attention to the trees but finally realized I was looking at something a little different. A Sparkleberry tree with clusters of lovely bell-shaped flowers. Vaccinium arboreum is known by number of common names: Sparkleberry, Farkleberry and Tree sparkleberry

Pleopeltis polypodioides (Resurrection Fern). Patches of Resurrection Ferns grew under the lips of the embankments by the road.

Moss. This area had rain frequently during the past few weeks and the moss was green. This was a particularly pretty patch.

Nothoscordum bivalve (False Garlic). False Garlic was growing in the grassy areas with the Virginia Springbeauty.

To be continued…
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Identification resources:
Southeastern Flora:
- Vaccinium arboreum (Tree Sparkleberry)
- Polypodium polypodioides (Resurrection Fern)

Name that Plant
- Vaccinium arboreum (Sparkleberry, Farkleberry)
- Pleopeltis polypodioides (Resurrection Fern, Scaly Polypody)

Distribution
University of North Carolina Herbarium:
- Vaccinium arboreum
- Pleopeltis polypodioides

USDA Plants Database
- Vaccinium arboreum (Farkleberry)
- Pleopeltis polypodioides (Resurrection Fern)

Related posts:
- Saxon-Norman-Broad, Wilkes County, Georgia: Prostrate Blue Violet, Green-and-gold & Trumpet Honeysuckle
- Saxon-Norman-Broad, Wilkes County, Georgia: Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
- Saxon-Norman-Broad, Wilkes County, Georgia: Luna Moth (Actias luna)

False Garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve)

Nothoscordum bivalve is known by the common names False Garlic, Grace Garlic or Crowpoison and is one of three onion-like species that grows in this area; the others are the Field Garlic (Allium vineale) and the Broadleaf Wild Leek (Allium ampeloprasum). I’ve only seen False Garlic at home where we have a small patch on the ledge immediately above the creek. They don’t bloom successfully every year – in fact this year something nipped the buds - but I did manage to get some photos a couple of years ago.

A patch of developing plants in the woods.

The flower head budding.

Starting to open.

The flower stalks unfolding.

Flower stalks, unfolded a little further.

A freshly opened flower

Flowering completed.

Nothoscordum bivalve (False Garlic) is native to the southeastern United States.
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Distribution Map:
- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Nothoscordum bivalve (Crowpoison)
- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Nothoscordum bivalve

Identification resources:
- Southeastern Flora: False Garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve)
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Nothoscordum bivalve
- Missouri Plants: Nothoscordum bivalve

Related posts:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index