Appalachian
Treasure Hunt
Journaling Native Plants of Northeast Georgia
J. Whalen
The Peace of Wild Things
"When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty
on the water,
and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.
I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting
with their light.
For a time I rest in the grace of the world,
and am free." Wendell Berry
August 1
August is "High Summer" in Northeast Georgia and the tallest and brightest wildflowers are lining the roadsides. Look for lots of birds, butterflies, and other critters enjoying the necter, leaves, and seeds. (Great Spangled Fritillary on Butterfly Weed)
August 2
Above: dragon fly
Left: milkweed seeds
August 3
These beautiful berries of Soloman Seal, which bloomed in April, just haven't been spotted by the local "critters." In a day or two they'll be history. (Polygonatum pubescens, Liliaceae) Union County
August 4
August 4
If taking a walk with children to find flowers sounds boring, try taking a walk to find bugs: "Cool!" They're EVERYWHERE in August.
August 5
Look low on the ground (or climbing a fence) to find Wild Potato Vine (Ipomea pandurata, Convulariaceae). Towns County
August 6
August roadsides are covered with yellow asters, twenty or more species. This one, Woodland Sunflower, grows about four or five feet tall. Its leaves are thick, rough (scratchy), and sessile. Sessile means that the leaves have no petiole or leaf stem. (Helianthus divaricatus, Asteraceae) Frogtown Road, White County.
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If you get confused about August Asteraceaes you have two options: Consider yourself part of a large confused group and just enjoy the beauty. Or take the "ID" challenge and use the following hints to identify one species at a time. Most of them can be placed into one of these five genuses:
1. Rudbeckias - look for long bracts at the back of the flower.
2. Coreopsis - look for simple rows of green bracts on the back of the flower.
3. Helianthus - look for multiple rows of green bracts on the back.
4. Smallianthus - look for four green sepals in back.
5. Silphium - look for wide, layered, fairly blunt bracts on the back.
(A bract is a "reduced leaf", a green leaf-like structure on the back of many flowers.)
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August 7
Bears Foot
(Smallianthus uvedalius, Asteraceae)
Towns County
The individual flowers are not showy, but the effect as a whole is charming. The very large leaves (as big as a bear's foot) are helpful with identification.
August 8
Yellow Fringed Orchids (Platanthera ciliaris, Orchidaceae) will stop you in your tracks, if you find one while hiking. Seeing a large group of them together is a rare treat. Driving in the area of Brasstown Bald is a good place for finding them. This picture was taken on the trail around Lake Winfield Scott.
August 9
Another treat to find in August is Virginia Meadow Beauty (Rhexia virginiana, Liliaceae). Look for the four pink petals and the eight curved yellow stamens. (Towns County)
August 10
Small-headed Sunflower (Helianthus microcephalis, Asteraceae) is a "cousin" of Woodland Sunflower. It has the same type of green bracts behind the flower, and the same scratchy leaves, but the flower heads are much smaller. The plants, however, can be VERY tall. Union County
August 11
As summer winds down begin to look for the "fruit" that has taken place of the early summer flowers. These Poke Berries (Phytolacca americana, Phytolaccaceae) have a messy red juice that was used as a dye for early colonists. Most of the plant is poisonous but the early green shoots were often parboiled (boiled twice) and eaten in early spring when green vegetables were scarce. Your grandparents may have eaten "poke salat" when they were young. These juicy berries are a great food source for our songbirds.
August 12
Rabbit Tobacco brings back embarrassing memories for lots of adults who had their first (and probably last) smoke using this plant. (Gnapphalium obtusifolium, Astereaceae) White County
August 13
Don't expect to find this coneflower on your hikes or in your neighborhoods. Visit the State Botanical Gardens in Athens and take a tour of the Mimsie Lanier Center for Native Plant Studies. They are growing it to re-introduce it to our native Georgia prairies. It is the only Echinaceae that is native to Georgia. Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida, Asteraceae) Clarke County
August 14
Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum, Asteraceae) is often called Queen-of-the-Meadow, and that is exactly what it seems to be when August gets here every year. It is VERY tall (up to eight or ten feet occasionally) and can be found all over our mountain region in sunny hedgerows and along lake sides. If you're looking for butterflies, look for Joe Pye Weed. (Tiger Swallowtail)
August 15
The top photo is Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis, Balsaminaceae) and the bottom photo is Pale Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida, Balsaminaceae). If you've ever planted "impatience" cultivars then you know that the stems are succulent, or juicy. This juice is said to relieve the itching of poison ivy. Both species love growing near water. Bees and hummingbirds love finding the plants!
August 16
Nothing says "fall is coming" like the first sighting of goldenrod blooming. It's easy to identify as goldenrod,
but most wildflower books will tell you that the many different species are "exceedingly difficult" to distinquish, and "labeling all plants as Solidago spp is sufficient." The spikey one above is probably Erect Goldenrod (Solidago erecta), and the one with the spreading flower head is probably our most common one, Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima). Try crushing the leaves when you find a goldenrod and if it smells like licoris you have found Anise Scented Goldenrod (Solidago odora). Goldenrods are host plants to over 100 butterflies and moths, and songbirds love the seeds. They are all particularly pretty growing next to purple ironweed or blue asters. (Fannin County)
August 17
Our native Clematis, (Clematis virginiana, Ranunculaceae) is a vine that opens its delicate white flowers in August. Its leaves are "toothed." An imported look-alike, Clematis terniflora, has leaves with smooth margins.
August 18
The delicate white flowers of Queen Anne's Lace have been on our roadsides since June. Some are still blooming, but the early bloomers have already dropped their petals and formed the beautiful "birdnest" seed pods shown at left. (Union County)
August 19
Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii, Liliaceae) is named for a French botanist, Andre Michaux. It is often seen swinging solo in an August breeze.
August 20
Yellow Evening Primrose flowers form dense clusters along roadsides in August. Generally speaking, the flowers open in late afternoon and stay open through the night. The seed pod is an oblong capsule filled with seeds for the passing birds. (Oenothera biennis, Onograceae)
August 21
Towering up to as much as eight feet tall, green-headed coneflowers are the most elegant of the August golden asters. The green "cone" contrasts with the yellow drooping petals. (Rudbeckia laciniata, Asteraceae) Union County
August 22
A beautiful piece of wood worn by wind and water. Helton Creek Falls, Union County
August 23
August 23
Ironweed (Veronia noveboracencis, Asteraceae) is a tall erect plant with bushel-basket size flowers clusters. It often fills entire fields with purple blooms. Don't miss it!
August 24
Thimbleweed, in the buttercup family, grows in dry open woods and thickets. It gets its name from a thimble-shaped seed head. (Anemone virginiana, Ranunculaceae) Union County
August 25
A favorite of bouguet gatherers, Hairy Wood Sunflower can be identified by its tall, straight, sturdy, and fuzzy stems. The plant can be four to five feet tall. And, of course, as with all asters, check the back side of the flowers! (Helianthus atrorubens, Asteraceae) Union County
August 26
This red beauty and the blue one below are both lobelias. I've seen more cardinal flowers in North Central Georgia than in North East Georgia but these were growing in Towns County in a damp ditch. Look for Cloudless Sulphur butterflies when you see cardinal flowers. They are an important pollinator. (Lobelia cardinalis, Campanulaceae)
August 27
Great Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica, Campanulacea) Fannin County.
August 28
In August, the machinery of photosynthesis is in high gear. Every plant cell contains chlorophyll pigments, which contain the electrons that are activated by the sun's energy. This energy allows the plants to grow and mature. The pigment of the month in Northeast Georgia is GREEN!
August 29
Tickseed Sunflowers open in late August when it seems the roadsides couldn't possibly get any brighter. The prickly seeds (beggar's ticks), which come along later, will follow you home sticking to your jeans! (Bidens aristosa, Asteraceae)
August 30
Finding a cluster of these vivid red berries is often a startling experience! They are the berries of Jack-in-the-Pulpit which bloomed in April. The flowers are interesting in spring, but then the plants become almost invisible as summer flowers start to bloom. In August it catches our attention again. (Arisaema triphyllum, Araceae) White County
August 31.
Sumac seems to want to be the first to grab our attention to point out the coming of fall. We have two common species of sumac (smooth and winged) and they all throw out branches of glowing red leaves along August roadsides. (Sumac is in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae)
Watch out for Yellow Jackets
in August and September!