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.

Photobucket
ferry from mainland to Sapelo- there is no bridge

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

Photobucket
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

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

Photobucket
back view of the mansion

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

Photobucket
sunrise amongst the giant live oaks and dripping spanish moss

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

Photobucket
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

Photobucket
Photobucket
sunrise at Nannygoat Beach

Photobucket
Photobucket
Sapelo Island Lighthouse and view

Photobucket
Photobucket
Vitis rotundifolia- native muscadine grape

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

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

Photobucket
lichen on a live oak

Photobucket
"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

Photobucket
sunset on Sapelo's calmer creek side

No comments: