Blushing Oconee Bell Wildflower with Raindrops

Find more: Blue Ridge Escarpment | Oconee Bell | Rare | Spring Ephemeral

The Oconee Bell is more than a wildflower for me. It’s a symbol of sorts. When I was eighteen I made a choice to move to South Carolina. Clemson University was one of the few that accepted and welcomed me. It was there that this diminutive, rare wildflower was introduced to me. It wasn’t an immediate impact. It took time. But it always represented something wild, special. The importance of a place that supports a rare wildflower. What that means to me: what importance I would assign.

I worked through several degrees and even left the area to practice construction management around the southeast. But, I always thought about the Blue Ridge Escarpment, or the Blue Wall as the Cherokee called it. The steep southeastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place of water, waterfalls and gorges. A temperate rainforest of mysterious landscapes and plants. And, for me, the Oconee Bell was the visual symbol–or representation–of the Blue Wall.

Every year, I reintroduce myself to the mountains by visiting the Blue Ridge Escarpment of South Carolina, specifically to witness and photograph the annual bloom of Oconee Bell wildflowers. I don’t know how many years I’ll be able to do this–maybe a half dozen, maybe a dozen if I’m really lucky. I don’t take it for granted. This is my fourth year in a row, and these trips remain special to me.

The natural area of Upstate South Carolina is in the midst of numerous trials. Hurricane Helene dumped tremendous water last autumn. Winds leveled forests. A hot winter and a dry spring now have the forests on fire. To slip between these destructive events into a wounded landscape and still find and experience beauty within the landscape is hard to put into words. Part of me feels guilty for posting images that represent a healthy, thriving ecosystem, when in actuality things are messy, chaotic, and damaged. Another part is always appreciative that nature doesn’t ruminate: it just moves on.

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