Nothing pleases me more than a stroll through woods and fields with nature-loving friends on a splendid day in April — and sharing our knowledge of what we find along the way.
That’s what drew seven of us Georgia Botanical Society members on a fine day last weekend to a beautiful 500-acre farm owned by some fellow members in North Georgia’s Floyd County. During a morning walk, we explored the wildflower-rich woods, fields and wetlands on the farm, which is protected through the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust.
Here are excerpts from my notes:
“First native wildflowers we see are wild blue phlox and wild columbine beneath a large white oak ... with its nodding, bell-shaped, red and yellow flowers, the wild columbine, we agree, is one of our favorite wildflowers …
“Our host leads us to a bluebird nest box … we peer inside and see five healthy blue eggs in the nest, which leaves me a little awestruck … we leave quickly before mother bluebird returns …
“Along a path next to a small lake, we find some beautiful, nectar-rich tulip poplar flowers fallen to the ground … a mature tulip poplar tree can produce as much as 9 pounds of nectar, which honeybees love …
“Some unusual red galls cover mulberry tree leaves, but we can’t identify them … in the rich, moist woods we marvel over a large patch of blue-flowered Jacob’s ladders … their leaves branch in an opposite fashion, like rungs on a ladder … deeper in the woods are blooming trilliums, red buckeyes, shooting stars, wild geraniums, spring beauties, fleabane daisies, golden alexander and, next to a pretty creek, larkspurs …
“We stroll across lovely fields lush with waving grass and eye-pleasing expanses of yellow buttercups mixed with crimson clover and blue lyre-leaf sage … we pause to listen to a red-shouldered hawk’s ‘key-yair’ call across the way.”
Afterwards, we cool off with some cold, tasty Popsicles.
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The Lyrid meteor shower will peak this weekend with about 20 meteors per hour in the northeast. The moon will be first quarter Thursday night. Mercury (low) and Venus are in the west at dusk. Venus appears near the moon Saturday night. Mars is high in the southwest at dark and will appear near the moon Tuesday night. Saturn is low in the east around dawn.
Charles Seabrook can be reached at charles.seabrook@yahoo.com.
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