Post by acalvin on Aug 19, 2018 1:21:15 GMT -5
In grad school I would take weekend trips to the mountains with coworkers and friends so I amassed a collection of photos of many hikes. I'll share my favorites of some mountain bogs here, beginning with the Carolina mountains. These mountains are incredibly lush and biodiverse. With spring ephemerals, orchids, and an abundance of trees, this place is a botanical wonder. A real treat here is of course the carnivorous plants. The first bog I visited was an artificial lake where S. jonesii grew along a seepage stream.
A bit further up the mountain, a creek cascades over the granite bald overlooking the Greenville area.
The pitchers grow right at the edge of the swift water.
Not far away, the rare cataract can be found. Here the plants grow in the crevices only where a thin film of water slides over the exposed rock.
D. rotundifolia and U. cornuta grew alongside the pitchers. You should be able to see an occasional Spiranthes cernua in a few photos. I regret not going in May when the other orchids were in bloom.
S. purp montanas grew on a parallel ridge. This one is quite a hike to get to, but cool autumn days made tracking easier and the leaves along the way are stunning.
This is the overlook that the montanas call home.
They too grow in crevices, though this time at quite a high elevation and at a steep incline.
Once during a drought year, one vegetation mat had partly desiccated and crumbled off the ledge. It was sitting on hot, dry rock (root side up) with no hope of survival. I carefully moved it about a foot over to a secure ledge with steady water. This looked like a natural occurrence, but these plants live in a sensitive environment that requires steady water. Who knows what damage more extreme precipitation variation caused by climate change could do.
The water trickled over the escarpment from a creek in the woods.
The montanas also grow in the partial shade along the sandy creek edges.
The plants are generally larger, but greener. A friend of mine commented that these look like demented lettuce.
Some were brightly colored despite the shade.
My favorite was growing directly on a rotting log.
The grass of parnassas and gentians were nice to see too.
A nearby overlook is a wonderful place to catch the sunset. The plants are definitely a rare find, and I hope they survive the threats of climate change and poachers. This whole area is definitely a place worth protecting.
A bit further up the mountain, a creek cascades over the granite bald overlooking the Greenville area.
The pitchers grow right at the edge of the swift water.
Not far away, the rare cataract can be found. Here the plants grow in the crevices only where a thin film of water slides over the exposed rock.
D. rotundifolia and U. cornuta grew alongside the pitchers. You should be able to see an occasional Spiranthes cernua in a few photos. I regret not going in May when the other orchids were in bloom.
S. purp montanas grew on a parallel ridge. This one is quite a hike to get to, but cool autumn days made tracking easier and the leaves along the way are stunning.
This is the overlook that the montanas call home.
They too grow in crevices, though this time at quite a high elevation and at a steep incline.
Once during a drought year, one vegetation mat had partly desiccated and crumbled off the ledge. It was sitting on hot, dry rock (root side up) with no hope of survival. I carefully moved it about a foot over to a secure ledge with steady water. This looked like a natural occurrence, but these plants live in a sensitive environment that requires steady water. Who knows what damage more extreme precipitation variation caused by climate change could do.
The water trickled over the escarpment from a creek in the woods.
The montanas also grow in the partial shade along the sandy creek edges.
The plants are generally larger, but greener. A friend of mine commented that these look like demented lettuce.
Some were brightly colored despite the shade.
My favorite was growing directly on a rotting log.
The grass of parnassas and gentians were nice to see too.
A nearby overlook is a wonderful place to catch the sunset. The plants are definitely a rare find, and I hope they survive the threats of climate change and poachers. This whole area is definitely a place worth protecting.