Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Late June at the mountains

 American beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, is just putting out flowers, little garlands around the stem. The famous purple berries will come in the fall. The flowers are pink — but the anthers are so loaded with golden pollen that you pink and yellow, which is lovely.

At Arabia Mountain, I was surprised to see goldenrods in full bloom, not just yellowish green, but gold. It seems early. I can tell you the genus, Solidago, but someone who is less prone to hay fever is going to have to check on the species.

The native Georgians are talking about what a strange year it’s been. The peach crop was mostly lost when the trees bloomed during the warm winter and then were hit by a late frost.

I’m so new to the area I don’t have a sense of what’s normal. My old home of San Antonio is in the news because of the heat — day after day above 100. At Stone Mountain, temperatures are still in the 60s when The Enormous Dog wants his walk in the morning. Still sweatshirt weather for me.

The dog found an Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina, in the woods south of Stone Mountain. No harm was done, but the turtle did not enjoy being discovered.

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