Dan Rawlins introduced us to a very special area in the Cooper's Creek Wildlife Management Area on the Duncan Ridge Trail in Georgia. With a chilly and overcast morning, 15 hardy participants were rewarded as the rain held off until the end. The forest was beautiful with so many blooming Pink Lady's Slippers, Cypripedium acaule, which were found under a Pine forest that had well-drained soils and a consistently low pH that favors the conditions that the slippers like. After admiring and photographing them we headed down a lovely trail to learn more from Dan about the plants around us. Other plants blooming were Yellow Star Grass, Canada Violets, Yellow Mandarin, MayApple, Crested Dwarf Iris, Foam Flower, Umbrella Leaf, Mountain Meadow Rue, Meadow Parsnip, Catesby's Trillium, Vasey's Trilium, Large Flowered Trillium, Solomon's Plume and Dutchman's Pipe. Dan had many stories to relate about the plants and how they got their names. We thank Dan for a thoroughly enjoyable learning experience in a beautiful forest.
Photos by David Fann:
Photos by Karen Lawrence:
