Appalachian
Treasure Hunt
Journaling Native Plants of Northeast Georgia
J. Whalen
Easter is the first Sunday after the full moon after the Vernal Equinox.
“As to me,
I know of nothing else but miracles.”
Walt Whitman
April 1
Northeast Georgia has about twelve common species of trilliums, according to my last count, and the first of April is a good time to start looking for them. All of them are in the lily family: Liliaceae. Three of them have no flower stalks, and these are collectively called "sessile trilliums or toadshade trilliums." The rest do have flower stalks and have traditionally been called "wake robins". In addition, they all have individual common names. In other words, just enjoy the beautiful show in April and don't fret over the names!
Above is one of the stalkless "toadshade" trilliums: a yellow form of Trillium cuneatum. (Sosebee Cove)
All the trilliums shown below are categorized as "stalked trilliums" or "wake robins" because,as you can see, the flowers have a stalk, or peduncle, if you are a botanist.
Sweet White Trillium (Trillium simile, Liliaceae) Sosebee Cove.
When a Sweet White Trillium finally opens its flower you will be able to see that it has a dark ovary and white stamens.
Sweet white trillium smells very SWEET. If you find a white trillium that smells "stinky" then you have found the white form of red erect trillium (T. erectum) also called "stinking Benjamin." Imagine that.
Large Flowered Trillium
(Trillium grandiflorum)
This one looks a lot like the white one above but, as you can see, it has a yellow ovary. The flower is also a good bit larger and ages to a pale pink.
(Sosebee Cove)
Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum) is a lucky find. This one was found around Lake Conasaga in the Cohutta Wilderness. I've been told that they are very common in Highlands, North Carolina.
.
Catesby's Trillium (Trillium catesbaei) is named for one of our famous botanists. It's hard to take its picture because the flower hangs down beneath the leaves. It's definitely worth stretching out on the ground to enjoy this pink beauty! (Hall County)
Southern Nodding Trilliums (Trillium rugelii)
are white with purple stamens. They're found occasionally in large colonies and are one of our tallest and most elegant trilliums. They're called "nodding" because the flowers hang down. (Hall County)
(Trillium cernuum looks very similar but is smaller and found in more northern climates.)
Another exciting find is a Vasey's Trillium, to the right. (Trillium vaseyi) The LARGE red flowers hang down under the leaves. (Warwoman Dell, Rabun County)
The very rare Persistent Trillium can be found at Tallulah Falls State Park in April. "She's tiny, but persistent!" ( T. persistens, Liliaceae)
April 2
If you are lucky enough to live along any of Northeast Georgia's many beautiful rivers, you may have one of our native azaleas on your property. Strips of land along rivers were never farmed. (Even back then farmers knew the problems related to soil run-off, and they knew the value of clean rivers.) If you don't have any native azaleas of your own, you will find them brightening up the landscape in most of our State Parks in April. They are deciduous (they shed their leaves in fall), and have a tall and graceful growth habit. I have heard them called "woodland dancers." The first to bloom is the Piedmont Azalea (Rhododendron canescens) shown above. It comes with a delicate scent.
The second native azalea to bloom in our area is the Oconee Azalea (Rhododensron flammeum). It comes in many beautiful shades of orange, salmon, yellow and even pink. This one is not fragrant.
(Hall County)
April 3
Along the Chattahoochee River...
April 4
Our beloved dogwood trees (Cornus florida, Cornaceae) are as much a part of spring as sunshine and baby birds!
April 5
Oak trees here are very late to leaf out and to bloom. Here the male flowers, carrying the pollen, are hanging on a low branch in front of the April azaleas.
April 6
Gay Wings (Polygaloides paucifolia, Polygalaceae) spreads by rhizomes (underground roots). If you're lucky you can find a carpet of these tiny pink flowers growing in the rich soil of our mountains. (Tallulah Gorge State Park.)
Baby birds love native insects. Native insects love native plants. Mama and Papa birds look for native plants to find native insects for their babies. Happy bird noises come from all the native trees!
April 7
Aquilegia canadensis (Ranunculaceae) is the only columbine native to Northeast Georgia. In fact, it is the only one native to the eastern US. Find these beautiful flowers, with their delicate foliage, along mountain roadsides now.
April 8
Foam flowers (Tiarella cordifolia, Ranunculaceae) love our mountain creek banks. These were found at Desota Falls State Park, and more will continue to bloom through early summer.
April 9.
After you have learned to recognise the "umbrella" foliage of Mayapples, you must remember to look under the leaves as April progresses. You'll find the flowers and later the "apples." The fruit is edible, but bitter, and was often used medicinally. Racoons love the seeds! (Podophyllum peltatum, Berbericaceae) Hall County
April 10
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum, Geraniaceae)
Helton Creek Falls
April 11
Many species of the Buttercup family begin to appear in April. You'll often see fields full of their yellow "cups." In spite of the name, most of them are listed as poisonous. The buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) is a window back in time...the flower forms have retained many of their ancestral characteristics.
Jack-in-the-Pulpits (Arisema triphylla, Araceae) are often missed by those who don't recognise the foliage and stoop down to find "Jack." In September, however, the large bright red berries are eye-catching!
Gardens on Green, Gainesville, GA
April 12
April 13
In addition to the dogwoods that bloom along the roadsides in April are the black cherries (Prunus serotina, Rosaceae). Dismissed as "weedy trees" by most landscapers, these native trees support almost 500 species of native insects! If you have one in your yard...think twice about cutting it down. In spring, it will be covered with juicy caterpillars that will be gathered by Mama and Papa birds to feed their babies.
More woodland violets appear in April. Violets often hybridize in nature so exact ID is difficult. As you can see, these two yellow ones are different. One has smooth leaves and the other has furry ones!
April 14
Both of these yellow violets are in the Violaceae family and in the Viola genus.
April 15
Doghobble, above, is blooming now. As you can see, the individual flowers look like tiny bells. This family, Ericaceae, includes our rhododendrons, azaleas, and huckleberries or blueberries.
It's called doghobble because of its tangled branches. (Leucothoe editorum)
April 16
Above and to the right is Large Flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora, Liliaceae). There are several bellworts that bloom here in the spring. This one is "downy" under the leaves. Another one (U. perfoliata) looks as though the stem is piercing the leaves. All are yellow and bellshaped. Merry Bells is another common name.
April 17
Green and Golds, above, have a name that's easy to remember! They can be found growing in ditches, and along roadsides in several counties of Northeast Georgia. Only a few inches high, they make a bright ground cover that blooms for several weeks. (Chrysogonum virginianum, Caprifoliaceae)
April 18
April 18
Birdfoot violets can be found now in parks and along roadsides from mountains to piedmont. They are one of the latest violets to bloom and are named as they are because the leaves are distinctly different from most violet leaves. They resemble bird feet, of course. (Viola pedata, Violaceae)
Most of our wild gingers have beautiful shiny leaves
year round. This time of the year is a good time to sit down and take a peek under the leaves. Hexastylis shuttleworthii, Aristolochiaceae, has the largest blooms.
As you can see, the blooms are fleshy and speckled brown...not what we picture when we think of spring wildflowers. But the insects find them, crawl inside to look for treats, and pollinate them.
April 19
To the left is a wild ginger in another genus: Asarum canadense, Aristolochiaceae. It is distinctively different because the leaves are deciduous...they die back in the winter and regrow in the spring.
April 20
The tiny bell-shaped flowers to the left are the blooms of Soloman Seal (Polygonatum biflorum, Liliaceae)
.
The tinier stary flowers to the right are the blooms of Soloman's Plume. They often get confused with Soloman's Seal because the leaves and leaf stalk are very similar.
They are both in the Lily family: Liliaceae. (Smilacina racemosa, Liliaceae)
As you can see, Sosebee Cove has more than a few Soloman's Plumes in April!
April 21
April 21
Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cuccularia, Papaveraceae).
It's one of our more delicate wildflowers, but a book called "Wildflower Folklore" says that it has another common name: "blue staggers". That's enough to keep most explorers from tasting it! (Sosebee Cove)
April 22
April 22
By now the pink buds of Virginia Bluebells have opened to a beautiful shade of blue. Gardens on Green, Hall County (Mertensia virginica, Boraginaceae)
***********
The waterleaf family (Hydrophyllaceae) often has flowers that don't get a second glance. But the water-stained appearance of the leaves is a giveaway for ID. (Sosebee Cove) Hydrophyllum virginianum
April 23
April 24
Another Sosebee Cove beauty in April is Yellow Mandarin (Prosartes lanuginosa, Liliaceae).
April 25
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroids, Berberidaceae) in the barberry family, has tall flower spikes. The seeds have been used as a coffee substitute. (Sosebee Cove)
April 26
Black Locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia) has thorns, but not nearly as large as the ones on Honey Locust. They are both in the pea family. The beautiful fragrant white flowers can often be seen towering from a 60 foot tree.
April 27
Indian Pipes (Monotropa uniflora, Monotropaceae) may appear to be a ghostly fungus, but it is in fact a plant without a drop of chlorophyll. It is assisted by a fungus to get nutrients from a plant nearby. Union County
April 28
It's obvious where Tulip Poplar gets its common name. The blossoms in April are usually so high in the top of the tall trees that they go unnoticed unless one gets blown down by the wind. They are immediately noticed, however, by honey bees who are ready to start their spring honey making rituals. (Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnoliaceae)
April 29
At this point in time it's not easy to guess why this flowering plant is called Doll's Eyes. Come back in September and it will be perfectly obvious. (Actaea pachypoda, Ranunculaceae) Lake Winfield Scott
April 30
Goat's Beard (Aruncus dioicus, Rosaceae) can be spotted along mountain roadsides toward the end of April. As you can see, it's a member of the rose family. That means that each tiny flower has the characteristics of roses. Bees love it.