Weekend in Review

Tim and I headed back to the hills on Saturday, with friends Signe and Ron, to stretch our legs and revisit the trout lilies at the Chandler Heritage Preserve. We weren’t disappointed. Now at the peak of bloom, thousands of trout lilies are flowering on the short trail between Persimmon Ridge and the granite outcrop that overlooks northern Greenville County. The lilies are tiny and hard to photograph, but the pic below will give you an idea of how thickly they cover the forest floor.

Trout lilies (Erythronium)

Here is a better look at a single plant glowing in the afternoon light.

Trout lily, Chandler Heritage Preserve.

Then, early Sunday, I headed to the Paris Mountain area, located just five miles north of downtown, to collect a few native plants on offer from my friend Suzy. Suzy shared a generous handful of cranefly orchids (Tipularia discolor) from a large patch growing at her farm, and a heart’s-a-bustin’ (Euonymus americanus), which I planted in the woodland area between the house and the river.

Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor)

The native orchid has a two-part lifecycle. In winter, it produces a single leaf that is green on top and purple below. The foliage dies in late spring and a couple months later, in July or August, the plant produces a flower spike with dozens of tiny orchids. For more info on this unique native, look here.

Recently, I’ve started a new project in the woodland, just beyond the stone retaining wall that supports the backyard, but I can’t take credit for its progress. I’ve hired a fellow to build stone steps that will allow me navigate the steep terraces on the north-facing slope down to the river. The idea is to keep the woodland as natural as possible, but to gain better access so that I don’t slip and break my neck. As you can see, there will be two stairways connected by a long, straight path.

New stone steps provide safe access.

Looking in the opposite direction, a second stairway will be located just beyond the tree.

The red and white flags you see in the photos mark areas where native perennials grow.

The native plants in my shady woodland are just beginning to emerge, however, so I explored my neighbor’s sunnier slope and found the first bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) in bloom, as well as the first flowering sweet Betsy trillium (Trillium cuneatum).

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum)

It was a terrific weekend for wildflowers, don’t you think?

In Search of Grass of Parnassus

In the company of friends Anne and Lezlie, two enthusiastic hikers and wildflower experts, I headed to Yellow Branch Falls yesterday in search of the elusive Grass of Parnassus. Also called bog-stars, but known scientifically as Parnassia glauca, the plant is actually an herbaceous dicot rather than a grass.

Ann with mossy chestnut log, from a tree that died of blight nearly a century ago.

Lezlie capturing the autumn display of hearts-a-bustin (Euonymus americanus).

Anne had seen Grass of Parnassus on the trail in years past and we were in luck, finding the showy plant in flower along the banks of the waterway only a short distance into the hike. The stunning blooms, pure white veined with green, are held aloft on upright stalks, roughly 15 to 20-inches tall. Glossy green foliage, including one stalkless leaf clasping the flower stem, is similar in shape to a lily pad.

Grass of Parnassus is found in various types of moist habitats (fens, swamps, woodlands, etc.) in calcareous soil, typically where there is low canopy cover and high plant diversity. In the Upstate, it flowers in October.

Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia glauca)

Grass of Pernassus along the Yellow Branch waterway.

We had other good luck too, sighting an impressive group of rare Indian pipes (Monotropa uniflora) on our return journey from the falls. Also known as the ghost plant, this herbaceous perennial is parasitic (specifically a myco-hypopitys), so chlorophyll is absent. Stems bear a single flower that droops like a bell and then turns upright when it begins to fruit. The plant also fades from white to pink as it ages.

Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora)

Monday morning’s rain ensured a dramatic cascade of water at the falls and we enjoyed our lunch and a well-deserved rest on one of the massive rocks at its base.

Yellow Branch Falls with 50-feet of cascading water that stretches 75-feet wide.

The ideal spot for lunch.

Walking in Beauty

Anyone who’s a gardener or a naturalist knows the Earth is a great restorer. I hadn’t forgotten this fact, but it had been a long time since I’d taken advantage of it. My too busy work and travel schedule, plus the joy of a new grandbaby, had kept me tied to the computer and on the highway (or skyway), and while it’s all been good (very good, in fact), I admit to more than a few anxious days and restless nights.

But not this weekend. After months of planning, the Upstate MN group welcomed Master Naturalists from across South Carolina to the Clemson Outdoor Lab for “Connecting People with Nature,” a conference of hikes, workshops, and speakers, as well as a big dose of fun.

For me, it was also a restoration; a chance to immerse myself in the natural world and revisit the Navajo concept of Walking in Beauty. Though more complicated than can be fully articulated here, the Navajo philosophy—Hozho–encompasses beauty, order, and harmony, and expresses the idea of striving for balance.

Who wouldn’t feel better after spending the weekend relishing these natural wonders?

Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), Station Cove Trail

Pink ladyslipper (Cypripedium acaule), Station Cove Trail

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), Station Cove Trail

Hiking group at Station Cove Falls: Kristina, Libby, Toni, Gwen, Judith, and our leader, Dan

Beauty of the lower cascade, Station Cove Falls

Wild baptisia (B. latifolia), Yellow Branch Falls Trail

Wandflower (Galax urceolata), Yellow Branch Falls Trail

Hearts-a-Bustin (Euonymus americanus) with unidentified insect, Yellow Branch Falls Trail

Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum), Yellow Branch Falls Trail

Piedmont Rhododendron (R. minus), Yellow Branch Falls Trail

Colorful spores on Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)

Eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulates), identified by his blue chin and belly

A small part of the group at Yellow Branch Falls, with special thanks to leaders Ette and Bill.

Yellow Branch Falls

The weather was picture perfect all weekend. And because we’ve had a good measure of rain this spring, the waterfalls were magnificent.

Both Station Cove Falls and Yellow Branch Falls are located within Sumter National Forest. The 30-minute trial to Station Cove Falls, a stepped 60-foot waterfall, is rated easy. The 60-minute trail to Yellow Branch Falls, a 50-foot tall and 75-feet wide cascade, crosses Yellow Branch Creek three times and is rated moderate. More information about these trails, and many others, can be obtained from the SC State Trails Program.