Mar 28 Betty McGee Creek Golden Club

 

After scouting for work projects in the area, I walked offtrail along Betty McGee Creek by the Thornburg access to the Birkhead Wilderness. In past years, I have seen Golden Club blooming along the creek near the Thornburg Trail. There were none in that area, so further upcreek I walked. About a quarter mile later, they began appearing in alcoves and sheltered areas along the creek.

I suspect that gold panning activity in the creek may have affected the distribution of the plants. 

Mar 26 McDowell County Oconee Bells

 

There are 7 occurrences of Oconee Bells in McDowell County. I was working on a nature preserve with one of those occurrences.  We were asked not to reveal the location as they have had unwelcome visitors. I was told there were a dozen cameras with cellular connections to alert the preserve manager. These Oconee Bells are a different species that the Oconee Bells found elsewhere. This species, Shortia brevastyla has smaller flowers and leaves than galacifolia and are confined to McDowell County NC. 

The leaves are glossy and very similar to Galax. They grow alongside streams in shaded areas. We saw quite a few but I was told, we were at the tail end of the bloom. 

I believe we were close to the historic occurrence which Asa Gray visited. In 1788, Andre Michaux found the plant west along the Keowee River, now under Lake Jocassee.  In 1839 Asa Gray saw that unidentified specimen at Micheaux's herbarium located in Paris,  France. He tried for years to find the plant. In 1877, a 17 year old George Hyams located some in McDowell County along the Catawba River. Two years later Asa Gray visited and found it. That occurrence was lost to over collecting. 

After the workday at the preserve, I visited Flat Creek falls. I did not see any Oconee Bells here. The sides of the creek have recently been scoured in Sept 2024 by TS Helene. 

Mar 22 Eno River Area Wildflowers

 

The Eno River Association led two wildflower hikes today in two different locations. Both were on separate tracts owned by the Army Corps of Engineers. The morning hike was on Flat River. A popular hiking area through a wetland has a significant population of Dutchman's Breeches. The trails here are popular with families, dog walkers and runners. We utilized the trails to access a trailless area along the river. It had been an agricultural field at one time, owned by the Camerons of Stagville Plantation. 

Once off trail, we walked to Flat River where we encountered the Dutchman's Breeches and the Dimpled trout lily. Although, we didn't want to trample the wildflowers, it was impossible not to step on some. There was no discernable trail through this area. 

Flat River

False Rue anemone 

This occurrence of Dutchman's Breeches is the largest I have seen. It encompassed several acres.

Spring Beauty

The second hike was an afternoon hike along the Eno River at a place called Penny's Bend. We were instructed to not step off trail. After one short transgression to look for little brown jugs under a Heartleaf, I abided. However, every runner that came along, passed us by running offtrail often through whatever patch of wildflowers we might have been by.  

Mar 20 Congaree at Stump Gut

 

John by the 27.5' circumference Bald cypress

Congaree has a special attraction for me. It took a while gel but is fully entrenched now. I think my hiking partner, Will has that same addiction. We are so fortunate to have met John Cely. This is our 4th excursion into the forest with John. He is taking us via jon boat up the Congaree River from US 601 bridge (Bates Landing) to Stump Gut. 

Guts and sloughs are floodplain waterways. They move water into and out of the floodplain. Winter is normally the wet season, often flooding the forest throughout the floodplain. We are experiencing a drought this year and have dry access to this area, an unusual occurrence. During the logging era, these waterways were utilized to extract large Bald Cypress. Often ditches were dug to connect the natural waterway system. The Bald Cypress was the prize tree here. Locals were paid to locate the giant trees to be harvested. Since Bald cypress is too heavy to float, the trees were girdled, killing the tree and allowing enough moisture to "bleed out". The following year, the tree would be cut and floated out. John promised us a number of 14' plus (circumference) Cypress. He thumped his stout Red cedar hiking stick on every big Cypress. Almost every one was hollow but alive. Thus, these giants were spared from the axe and saw. 

Traveling through the butterweed

Packera glabella, called butterweed can be seen throughout Congaree at this time of year. It looks pretty and is native to the Southeast but often is considered invasive. It's toxic so that may position it in the invasive category. I suspect cattle farmers dislike it and want to remove it. Hence the invasive tag, maybe. 

John visiting with an old friend

One of the major obstacles here is Sams Lake. This appears to be one of those oxbow lakes formed when the river changed its course. It will dry up later in the year. We needed to cross these waterways several times.

Paw paw blooms

We saw 3 patches of Paw paws. John told us that none of them fruit. I learned that although there seems to be a dozen or more trees in each patch, they were likely clonal and thus a single individual made up each patch. Since they don't pollenate themselves and the patches were far enough apart, these Paw paws don't fruit.

This Cypress earned the name as the "Lost Cypress". It has very distinct indentations, so I don't know how it could be lost. Perhaps it was just misplaced.

Red buckeye

John thumps another hollow Cypress.

Above and below is the 27.5' circumference Bald Cypress. It was a very impressive tree. This was the last stop on our circuit. John led us through the forest from the landing at Stump Gut for over 3 miles. He never looked a map or made a wrong turn. He has visited this area of large Cypress many times, including a visit just 3 days earlier. He has spent over 50 years meandering in the park and could have been in this area a 100 times. 

Mar 19 Forty Acre Rock

 

This rock should have a name. Every visit to Forty Acre Rock Preserve includes a visit to this bouldered forest well away from the much visited "rock". There is room for one car to park off the road. It doesn't appear this place gets visited much as the manway leading to the creek is hard to follow. Once you are at the creek, all the boulders are on the other side. There are lots of them as you make your way through the forest traveling along creek left. 

First we headed out on to the 14 acre rock. It's closest to the parking area. There are always some people here. We saw a number of dead loblollies on a thin layer of soil atop the rock. It could be a result of our drought.

Rock sandwort was blooming in several of the depressions on the high side of the rock. 

Elf Orpine's red stage is just about over. 

Crow Poison

After touring the large rock and its surrounding area, we drove from the upper parking area to the nondescript trail to the large rocks. There we ate lunch sitting by a tiny double waterfall. There was water rushing beside us on the surface and water rushing well below us among the subterranean rocks.  

We visited some old (rock) friends on the far side of the creek. 

It took a while but we were able to begin on creek left and cross back over, then climb a labyrinth of rocks to get to the top. There were several false passages but it all worked out. i love exploring this area.

Turtlehead rock

Runaway grindstone beside the creek. 

Mar 7 Big South Fork - Devils Cave

 

Devils Cave is one of those secret places that is trying to stay secret. There is not a curated trail to the cave. It is accessed by an obscure manway from a popular overlook of the Cumberland River. Keith led us a short distance into the forest and then to a rockface.

The only was down the rockface is via these ropes securely tied to a tree above. And yes, I did make sure it was securely tied. 

From the rope descent, we continue steeply downhill to this nondescript opening. 

Bring light. It is dark inside. There is a fissure opening which provides some light above but due to the wet terrain here, you'll need some light to make your way around. We had only phone flashlights which were enough to get us in and out but I'd be sure to bring better light next time. 

The cave is the deepest we have seen yet. I've heard it is 400' and as much as 600' deep. As we went in deeper, light and wetness became limiting factors. We turned back before reaching its deepest point. 

Later, in the evening, we met with friends of Keith for a outdoor dinner and firepit social. One of Keith's buddies, Ken Pasternak shared a great deal of information about local caves. Big South Fork is sandstone area and the caves are almost all overhang or rockhouse type caves. In the surrounding counties, there are many limestone caves. Ken said some were in the 25 mile range, meaning the limestone cave systems here are measured in miles, whereas the sandstone cave are merely measured in feet. Ken told us of a visit he had in Devils Cave. Descending by rope from the fissure opening in the ceiling, he was dangling above a group exploring the cave via foot. He waited until the group was right below him before he announced his presence to the unsuspecting group below. 

Time to exit the cave

We spend a lot of time maneuvering up and down slick rocks. You need to move slowly as a fall here would not be pleasant. Thee are some tight spots and everywhere is wet. Water was entering the in many spots, forming a slow moving waterway toward the cave opening.

Will ascending via rope