23 March, 2009

Sapelo Island

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to co-lead a Regions Trip through Fernbank Museum to one of the most magnificent barrier islands on the east coast- Sapelo Island. These are pictures along with brief captions to attempt to describe the beauty of the environment I was able to experience.

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ferry from mainland to Sapelo- there is no bridge

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The Reynolds Mansion- our home away from home for the weekend

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view from the front porch- the road leads one mile to the beach and on the winter solstice the sun sets directly down the path

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original 1-lane bowling alley in the basement of the mansion

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back view of the mansion

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Eastern Red Cedar (juniper) and marsh (mostly Spartina alterniflora)

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sunrise amongst the giant live oaks and dripping spanish moss

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one of the biggest wisteria vines I've ever seen (and it almost seemed to live in harmony with oaks without doing any harm!)

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Ilex vomitoria- "Yaupon Holly"
the leaves of this plant can be dried and steeped to make a drink known as "Asi" to natives in the area and later called "the black drink"- it was used in native american male purification rituals

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sunrise at Nannygoat Beach

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Sapelo Island Lighthouse and view

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Vitis rotundifolia- native muscadine grape

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the wind was steady at 30mph or so during this shot

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forest understory after a recent controlled burn- notice grass and ferns resprouting already!

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lichen on a live oak

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"wrack" or dead Spartina grass that floats into the ocean then is deposited by waves onto the beach- these dead grasses then collect sand and thus dune formation begins

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sunset on Sapelo's calmer creek side

10 March, 2009

Arabia Mountain- spring bloom!

My good friend Mike was in town and I took the day off, so Mike and I along with Cassius and Odie ventured to Arabia Mountain near Lithonia and were fortunate enough to have great weather and catch a lot of the unique plants of the area in (or near) their early spring bloom.

Diamorpha smallii
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lunar landscape (with some awesome plants though)
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Plenty of recent rain and snow left Arabia quite lush in places
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Me, Mike and Odie, and Mike
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Trout lilies- Erithronium americanum
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Black Cherry (Prunus spp.)
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What a great day!
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02 March, 2009

Atlanta magic snow 2009

awesome satellite image of eastern snow blanket- March 2, 2009
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