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BT Mountain Seeps Late Spring 2018 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
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BT Mountain Seeps Late Spring 2018 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
| GPCA folks, representing several conservation organizations, met at the Seeps in mid June to monitor rare species and discuss site management: |
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| A highlight of the day was finding two bog turtles, the rarest and smallest turtles found in North America. |
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| Critically endangered bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) This female was located in one of the traps in the area. |
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| Male bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) This feisty guy emerged from the mud as a few of us were checking out some plants in a small seep area. |
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| Out of the mud |
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| Wandering along... |
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| Our group included some interns from the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, getting a bit of field experience. |
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| Grass Pink (Calopogon tuberosus) |
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| Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides), rare in GA The flowers were on the way out, but this one was still partially open... |
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| Vase vine, aka Leatherflower (Clematis viorna) |
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| Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly on Monarda fistulosa |
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| A small rock covered with Round-leafed Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). Dozens of buds were just about to open. |
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| More Grass Pinks |
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| We also re-located (i.e. "found again") and geo-marked some of the rare plants at the site. Unfortunately, the orchids among them had bloomed a week or two prior... |
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| Widelip Orchid, aka Loesel's twayblade (Liparis loeselii) |
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| Lily-leaved Twayblades (Liparis liliifolia) Two mature plants, with a young one on the right. |
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| Palegreen Orchid, aka Tubercled Rein Orchid (Platanthera flava var. herbiola) {As of 2019, this plant has its own species: Platanthera herbiola}. |