Tag Archives: Georgia Natural History

Arabia Mountain, DeKalb County

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Near the trailhead at Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center

Arabia Mountain, like its neighbors, Panola Mountain and Stone Mountain, is one of several prominent monadnocks/plutons in Georgia. Monadnocks are roughly defined as isolated rock hills or small mountains rising prominently from a more gently sloping perimeter. Historically, they have all been mined for their raw material. While Stone Mountain and Panola Mountain are composed of granite, Arabia Mountain is composed of gneiss. This is the view as one begins the short hike to the summit at the Klondike Road trailhead within the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center. There is some confusion as to the name of the summit, as Bradley Peak (954′) and Arabia Mountain (940′) tend to be connected, and some sources note that the actual summit of Arabia Mountain is located near an old quarry, beyond Bradley Peak. Very few maps identify Bradley Peak or Bradley Mountain at all, but it’s a big debate, apparently. Since signage and Department of the Interior identify the site as Arabia Mountain, I’m deferring to those sources in this context.

Cairn marking the trail at Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center

The parking lot is often full at the Nature Center, so it’s probably best to go on a weekday. The trail is clearly marked with these stone cairns.

Woolly Groundsel (Packera cana)

Several unusual wildflower and native plant species thrive on the mountain. While its fall-blooming yellow daisies may be one of its most iconic symbols, Arabia Mountain is also home to these spring-blooming beauties, tentatively identified as Woolly Groundsel (Packera cana).

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) is one of the most colorful and spectacular bloomers at Arabia Mountain.

Small’s Stonecrop, aka Diamorpha (Sedum smallii)

Springtime brings patches of endangered red plants around the solution pits that dot the landscape of Arabia Mountain.

Historically, they have been known as Diamorpha smallii, or simply Diamorpha, but are now classified as Sedum smallii. During their very brief bloom time, they are covered with tiny white flowers.

The flowers are a great aspect of the mountain, but Arabia’s charm lies in its rocky, other-worldly topography.

Nearly every solution pit and pool, whether filled with water or not, is host to a wide variety of vegetation.

The slope itself, from the Nature Preserve access point, has a low rise and is therefore an enjoyable walk for most people.

Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) near the summit

Finding this fringe tree near the summit was a surprise. It was quite windblown, as my hike with friends on Saturday was dominated by non-stop 40+mph gusts.

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area

Candler Oak, Savannah

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Savannah may be as well known for its moss-draped ancient oaks as for its superb architecture, and the Candler Oak may just be the biggest and oldest of them all. Located about midway on the Drayton Street side of Forsyth Park, this regal oak is 54-feet tall, boasts a circumference of 17-feet, and has a crown spread of over 110-feet.

It’s older than Georgia itself, and at approximately 300 years old, is believed to have been a sapling in the early 1700s. By the time its branches shaded Union prisoners held in stockade here during the Civil War, it was already a substantial tree. From 1819 until 1980, the tree was a well-known landmark on the grounds of the Savannah Poor House & Hospital and Candler Hospital [the tree’s namesake]. It’s now adjacent to SCAD’s Deloitte Foundry.

It was nearly lost to progress and development, but was saved by the Savannah Tree Foundation in 1982, when that group obtained a conservation easement of 6,804 feet that insured its protection well into the future. This is the first known easement for a single tree. It’s now held together by screws and cables, surrounded by a formidable fence, and monitored by 24-hour video surveillance. Hopefully, all these protections will allow it to live long into the future.


Savannah Historic District, National Historic Landmark

Sprewell Bluff, Upson County

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!