Tag Archives: Georgia Natural History

Sprewell Bluff, Upson County

2 Replies

As the Upson County government website notes: Sprewell Bluff Park is one of Georgia’s best kept secrets and is known by locals as the hidden gem.

Historically, this natural feature of the Flint River was important to the Creek Indians. When they were forced to cede all their lands between the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers to the United States in 1825, it was opened to settlement.

It was named for Jeptha Simeon Spruiell (1784-1873), a native of Abbeville County, South Carolina, who came to Georgia’s western frontier sometime before 1850, in what was then part of Talbot County. Spruiell was a successful farmer who understood the economic potential of the bluff area, which was a busy crossing on the Old Alabama Road.

Straddling the Fall Line and providing a mountain-like environment in west central Georgia, Sprewell Bluff is one of the most interesting natural areas in the Piedmont region. The Flint River here is quite different than at its southern extremes in Georgia, characterized by rocky shoals and sheer rock walls along its banks.

Located about 10 miles west of Thomaston [take Georgia Highway 74 to Old Alabama Road, then turn onto Sprewell Bluff Road], the site has been as popular a landmark in the modern era as it was to the indigenous people who lived here for centuries before White settlers arrived.

As Atlanta’s population exploded in the early 1970s, the Army Corps of Engineers sought to build a dam at Sprewell Bluff, but thanks to strong local opposition and the personal intervention of Governor Jimmy Carter, the proposal was officially tabled in 1974.

Georgia Power has owned the site for many years and in the early 1990s leased it to the state of Georgia as a day-use state park. This arrangement didn’t prove too popular as there were no employees on-site full time, and beginning in 2013, Upson County assumed responsibility for managing the property. A trading post is located on Sprewell Bluff Road, and is the check-in point for the park. An amazing overlook deck is located there. Sprewell Bluff Park is a truly magical place for fishermen [especially with its population of Shoal Bass], paddlers, swimmers, hikers, campers, or anyone wanting to take in the awesome landscape.

Griffin Ridge Wildlife Management Area, Long County

Leave a reply
Entrance at Eastern Section

Griffin Ridge Wildlife Management Area (WMA), located between Jesup and Ludowici, includes vibrant examples of Atlantic coastal plain floodplain forests, oak hammocks, and river dunes. It encompasses areas historically known as Fountain Branch (Fountain Hole), Back Swamp, Griffin Lake, and Patterson Swamp. These are part of the larger Altamaha River floodplain.

Lichen, found in abundance on higher ground at Griffin Ridge WMA, Eastern Section

The site is open to everyone, but you’ll need a lands pass or hunting/fishing license from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) if you visit. If your interest is the natural environment, it’s best to avoid any WMA during hunting season, but that leaves a lot of time to wander the trails the rest of the year. A four-wheel drive vehicle is advisable and bug spray is a necessity.

Nature Trail, Eastern Section

A nature trail is located here and one of the highlights is the lupine, which usually blooms in April. DNR does a good job of keeping the sandy roads and trails cleared, and signs identifying various plants and wildlife can be found throughout the property.

Sky blue lupine (Lupinus diffusus), Eastern Section

Palmetto thickets are dominant in much of this xeric environment.

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), Eastern Section

Primitive campsites with minimal amenities can be secured through the DNR if you want to spend the night.

Wooden Bridge, Western Section

A wooden bridge built by the DNR is a notable feature in the western section of the WMA, which can be accessed near the Tin Man on US 341. This area is closer to the Altamaha and generally lower and swampier than the eastern section.

Penstemon, Western Section. [I’m not sure what variety this is.]

Native plants are also common in this area of the WMA.

Road to Shelter, Eastern Section

Cardinal Flower, Chattooga County

3 Replies

Ever since coming across a small colony of these in a swamp when I was a boy, I have always loved Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis). Their tall scarlet spikes make them one of our most beautiful wildflowers. They grow all over Georgia, in moist, mostly shaded environments.

Blue Ridge Landscape, Dawson County

1 Reply

This is a standard winter view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, made from the top of Amicalola Falls a few years ago. I’m out on a limb on the county, so to speak, since Lumpkin County is nearby and my depth perception isn’t the best. Either way, I hope you enjoy.

Champney River Bridge Catwalk, McIntosh County

2 Replies

I’ve always called these pedestrian sections on the sides of bridges along the coast “fishing bridges” but I know there must be a better name. On a list of McIntosh County fishing piers, this is identified as the Champney River Bridge Catwalk, and catwalk seems a good description. It’s probably the safest, accessibility wise, of all of these public piers in the Altamaha Delta, because there’s a nice parking lot. The others generally have little more than a pull-over spot and US 17 is a very busy road most of the time. Tourists may use these from time to time, but locals, who know the tides and and the runs of numerous species, use them frequently.

If you’re not an angler and just want to take in the coastal scenery, or a birdwatcher checking out the diverse avifauna, they’re a good starting point.

Barbara’s Buttons, Turner County

2 Replies

This little-known native wildflower is one of the prettiest you’ll find in pitcher plant bogs and other wet woodland areas, especially in the longleaf ecosystem. The showy pink and white flowers appear on a single stem, up to a couple of feet high. There are several varieties in Georgia, but I believe these are either Narrow-leaf Barbara’s buttons (Marshallia tenuifolia), which are somewhat rare, or the more common Grass-leaf Barbara’s buttons (Marshallia graminifolia). Interestingly, no one seems to know who “Barbara” was. The first known usage of the common name only dates to 1933. Before then, they were generally referred to by their Latin names.

Several specialty nurseries sell Barbara’s buttons and I’ve actually had good luck growing them in my own yard. If you like native plants, they’d be a worthwhile specimen to try.

Flat Creek, Berrien County

Leave a reply

Flat Creek is a typical blackwater artery of the Coastal Plain, ephemeral at times due to drought and other environmental factors, but a beautiful sight when at normal levels. It’s a multi-pronged tributary of the Withlacoochee River, important to the early settlement of the area. According to an historic marker: Flat Creek Mills was a trading post and election precinct many years before the present Berrien County was created in 1856. Officers of the new county were sworn in here, and there being no court house, the first Inferior Court was held here in the unfinished barn of W.D. Griffin, owner of the mills at that time. The next year the barn was finished and in use so court was held across the Creek in the home of Mr. Ham who moved his beds and other furniture out for the purpose.

Georgia’s First Record for the Lazuli Bunting

9 Replies

Those of you who know me personally know that I’m a bird nerd of sorts, and have been since childhood. When my father called me on 8 April 2018 and reported an unusual blue bird hanging around his backyard, I made a trip over to Fitzgerald to investigate it myself. From his description, we both thought it might be a Lazuli Bunting but that was easy to dismiss since it’s a western species, never before recorded in Georgia. Sure enough, it was a beautiful Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena). The bird likely followed a storm system that moved across the middle of the country and wound up in South Georgia. It only hung around a couple of days, but it was a gift to see it.

Last week, I finally got confirmation from Jim Flynn of the Checklist and Records Committee of the Georgia Ornithological Society that the sighting was officially confirmed. He wrote: I wanted to let you know that we finally completed a round of bird records that included your Lazuli Bunting report. I am happy to say that it was unanimously accepted. This is the first fully documented record for Georgia. After all of these years of record keeping, going back to colonial times, it’s tough to get a new state record!

Cut-leaf Coneflower, Oconee County

2 Replies

Earth Day seems an appropriate time to share this photo of one of our native coneflowers, Rudbeckia laciniata, growing beside Roses Creek in Oconee County. It’s known commonly as cut-leaf, or green-headed coneflower.

Rain Lilies, Ray City

2 Replies

For years, when photographing this house, I’ve seen Rain lilies, also known as atamasco or Easter lilies (Zephyranthes atamasca), blooming in a nearby ditch in early spring. They’re one of my favorite Georgia wildflowers.