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Spaniard Mountain Towns County, GA |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2023) |
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Spaniard Mountain Towns County, GA |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2023) |
| Late May 2023 I searched the side of the mountain for an obscure mica mine. My location info wasn't very accurate; I think the mine is at a higher elevation. I spotted a huge Chestnut Oak at the head of a cove. Pulling out my tape, I measured 184 inches circumference at breast height; that equals 59 inches diameter (almost 5 feet!) This is a greater girth than Georgia's champion tree of this species, although the crown is not as full as that tree. I need to revisit and do another search for that mine, probably next fall. |
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| Big Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana) Almost 5 feet diameter! |
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| Three images stitched together Unfortunately this perspective minimizes the size of the crown. |
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| Not the greatest pic, but showing the leaves high up in the tree... |
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| Continuing my search for the mine, I came across a piney ridge full of Pink Lady's Slippers. Unfortunately they were a couple of weeks bloomed out for this year. |
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| I found a number of nice, freshly-emerged clusters of Indian Pipes, aka Ghost Pipes (Monotropa uniflora). |
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| Mountain laurel, fresh and white... |
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| Mountain laurel, pink and fading... |