So Much Left to Discover

Welcome to the latest entry in my "Year in the Woods" series, where I document all the native plants I can find in our woods in one year.

Kate and I moved onto this woodlot on a sunny April day almost fifteen years ago. On at least 80 percent of the days since, we have walked some portion of the property on an ever growing trail network. Drop either of us on any trail on any moonless night, and a bet against us making it home in 30 minutes would be a bet lost. In the winter, when the ticks and chiggers and poison ivy are sleeping, we venture far off trail in search of adventure and treasures. We have found both, and here are a few examples of the latter.

A shed antler, old bottles, a
hawk skull and an arrowhead.

It would be safe to say we know the property well.

The more I learn, the less I know

Welcome to the latest entry in my "Year in the Woods" series, where I document all the native plants I can find in our woods in one year.

 

Since I first began this little project back in April, I have learned quite a bit about native plants and how to identify them. But more than anything, I've learned how little I know. Fortunately, plant ID books can compensate to some extent, and I've added a new one to my collection (A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina by Richard Dwight Porcher and Douglas Alan Rayner). Yes, the internet is wonderful, but there is something satisfying and relaxing about slowly browsing through a field guide.

Mid-Summer Update

Welcome to the latest entry in my "Year in the Woods" series, where I document all the native plants I can find in our woods in one year.

 

It seems to be legume season. We'll start with Spurred Butterfly Pea, Centrosema virginianum.