a little field trip into the sand hills...

In the interest of ecology and conservation, I invited myself along on a interesting expedition into the sand hills of west Georgia today. Upon hearing from a fellow plant lover/gardener of an excursion into Talbot County to visit a bog, see (oh my gosh!) pitcher plants and possibly a grand-daddy gopher tortoise, I jumped at the chance. And secretly decided that this was far more important than being a work... so I slipped away early to keep from getting left when the group went tromping in the woods.

It was remarkably hot, muggy, buggy, sweaty, gummy, sticky. I am so glad I went. I will do most any crazy thing to have the opportunity to go and see carnivorous plants. How amazing is that. There is a place north of Moultrie that is protected, a low boggy area in south Georgia farm land, possibly donated to a conservancy organization I have been itchy to see - so I am ready for the next field trip!

We went under the supervision of someone who works for a environmental organization, based here in Columbus, and funded by grant money. The main focus of this group is to encourage landowners to plant long-leaf pines, and other plants that will form community to support native wildlife. Lots of tracts of land along the fall line, where the ocean left massive deposits of sand as seawater retreated - perfect for the burrowing tortoise to dig. And that huge turtle, that eventually grows a shell as big as a turkey platter, has only man in fast moving vehicles as an enemy. If they survive to adulthood, they can live to be eighty years old - that's a Lot of Turtle. As they dig in the soft sand, and create a burrow. up to forty feet long below the surface, it can provide a home/refuge for many other forms of native life: owls, mice, rats, gophers, Mr. No-shoulders, etc.

We did not see any wildlife - o.k. with me, as I was pretty nervous about the possibility of encountering things that slither. We did walk about a mile in the muggy, buggy heat down to an area that only occurs because there are power lines crossing through the woods. If the power company did not keep the right-of-way cleared, the plants that grow there in the drainage of the pine forest, needing lots of sunshine, would not flourish. So, thank you GA Power. Even though living in a house built beneath high tension lines will make your pets have tragically deformed babies, the power company is diligently creating the perfect environment for pitcher plant habitat.