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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#Birds in the #Snow in our Yard

We had an unexpected snow event – we were expecting some flurries, but the northern edge of the line of precipitation was further north than expected.  The snow and cold has the birds busy gathering calories, and with a full feeder in our yard it was a popular place.  Here are a few photos.

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus

Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus – several of these are regular visitors to our feeders most of the year.

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Lula Lake Winter Wonderland – January 2014

We (along with much of the rest of the country) have experienced a couple of significant cold snaps recently – Polar Vortex is what I’ve been hearing it called.  In any case, I thought it might provide an opportunity to see some iced waterfalls, and fortunately the Lula Lake Core Property “open day” on January 25 corresponded with one of these cold snaps where we had several days with temperatures staying well below freezing.  My son-in-law and I grabbed some warm clothes and headed up onto the mountain.  It was everything we’d hoped for; here are a few images…

Lula Falls

Partially frozen Lula Falls

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Indian Teasel – Dipsacus sativus – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

Indian Teasel, an introduced, invasive species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (01/22/2014.) Scientific name is Dipsacus sativus.  It  is also known by the common names Teasel, and Fuller’s Teasel.  Photo below was taken in Botetourt County, Va, on August 23, 2013.   Go to the Indian Teasel detail page for more information.

Teasel, Indian Teasel, Fuller’s Teasel - Dipsacus sativus

Indian Teasel – Dipsacus sativus

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#NPOD: Prester John #Nativeplants

Native Plant of the Day 01/22/2014

Photo from April 23, 2010. Location:  Zahnd’s Natural Area, Walker County, GA.

Prester John – for more photos / info go to the  Arisaema triphyllum ssp. quinatum detail page.

Prester John, Jack-in-the-Pulpit - Arisaema triphyllum ssp. quinatum

Prester John, Jack-in-the-Pulpit – Arisaema triphyllum ssp. quinatum

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White Sweetclover – Melilotus albus – Added to USWildflowers’ Database

White Sweetclover, an introduced, invasive species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (01/17/2014.) Scientific name is Melilotus albus.  It  is also known by the common names White Melilot, Honey-Clover, and Bokhara Clover.  Photo below was taken in Walker County, Ga, on June 14, 2013.   Go to the White Sweetclover detail page for more information.

White Sweetclover, White Melilot, Honey-Clover, Bokhara Clover - Melilotus albus

White Sweetclover – Melilotus albus

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