Monthly Archives: February 2014

Showy Jacob’s Ladder – Polemonium pulcherrimum – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Showy Jacob’s Ladder, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (02/28/2014.)  Scientific name is Polemonium pulcherrimum.  It is also known as Skunky Polemonium, Skunkleaf Polemonium, and Showy Polemonium.  Photo below was taken in Custer County, ID on June 13, 2010.  Go to the Showy Jacob’s Ladder detail page for more photos and information.

Showy Jacob’s Ladder, Jacob’s Ladder, Skunky Polemonium, Skunkleaf Polemonium - Polemonium pulcherrimum

Showy Jacob’s Ladder – Polemonium pulcherrimum

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The Pocket Status Update 2/24/2014

Eight warm days after my last trip by The Pocket I expected more.  I thought I’d see Harbinger of Spring, Hepatica, and Toothwort blooming, and possibly a few other early bloomers – maybe some Chickweed and Spring Beauties.  Well, I guess as far as expectations are concerned two out of three ain’t bad, as the saying goes.  Harbinger of Spring and Hepatica were all that was blooming; very similar to Feb 4 last year, so it looks like we’re nearly 3 weeks behind last year’s early bloom.  I did get to spend some quality time with a few Hepatica.  Start planning your trip to The Pocket – remember it is now a fee area.

Anemone acutiloba

Numerous Hepatica – Anemone acutiloba – were blooming.

Check out what else I saw:

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Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve

Wow!  If you like Trout Lilies (what’s not to like about Trout Lilies?) then… Wow!  Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve is home to the densest population of Trout Lilies in the world.  Arrive there at peak bloom – usually early February, but with the cold late winter we’ve had in the southeast, mid-February this year – and you too will be amazed at the carpet of yellow blossoms in a 40 acre patch of forest along the slopes down to Wolf Creek in Grady County, Georgia.

Dimpled Trout Lily - Erythronium umbilicatum

Massive display of Dimpled Trout Lily – Erythronium umbilicatum – at Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve

But there’s more…

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#Waterfalls and #Wildflowers – The Pocket – No Early Spring This Year 02/16/2014

We’ve had a pretty harsh winter, with two significant snow storms and a stretch of extremely cold weather (for North Georgia, anyway), so I was not expecting much action at The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain in mid-February, but it was a beautiful day and I wanted an excuse to get out, so my wife and I headed down to The Pocket after lunch.  It was pretty much as expected – signs of coming spring, but no floral action, even though this is almost 2 weeks later than the first flowers I found last year.  The falls was pretty, though, and worth the walk:

The Falls in the Pocket at Pigeon Mountain

The Falls in the Pocket at Pigeon Mountain

Following are a few photos of the “signs of spring:”

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Dog Rose – Rosa canina – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Dog Rose, an introduced species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (02/15/2014.) Scientific name is Rosa canina.  Photo below was taken along the Kleinschmidt Grade, Adams County, ID on May 25, 2012.   Go to the Dog Rose detail page for more information.

Dog Rose - Rosa canina

Dog Rose – Rosa canina

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More #Birds in the #Snow in our Yard – Feb 2014

The weathermen missed the January event – it snowed and iced a lot further north than they expected.  They hedged their bets on this one – the governor of Georgia even declared an emergency before the first snowflake fell.  But one thing is assured – when it snows, the birds will make a visit to our yard because my wife keeps the feeder full.  Here are a few images from some of the birds that were about while I made my foray into the snow.

Bird Feeder

Our Feeder in the Snow

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