March 2025Jocassee GorgesSouth Carolina / Early Spring / MountainsAs late winter wanes and early spring comes on, I usually make an annual trip to the base of the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment, South Carolina. I'm in search of spring ephemerals, the rare and...
While on photo adventure, we found ourselves on the leading edge of the first wave of spring ephemerals. I worried, as the guide, walking into a rich cove of potential botanical treasures, that we might not see much of anything. My timing was based on similar trips...
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...
There's a wave of energy that passes through the forest in early spring. It awakens a class of wildflowers known as spring ephemerals. These wildflowers employ a unique strategy of early, small and quick. They are the first adopters of sunlight energy; the fast...