The Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail

 

After several years of absence, I returned this week to The Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail in Northwest Georgia in preparation for a field trip I am co-leading next month. It’s been a while since I went; I think my last visit was in 2017 because I blogged about it twice – two visits, one month apart. 

We’ve had some warm days lately so I was curious if there would be a lot of flowers; this visit closely matches with my February 19, 2017 visit in terms of what was blooming.

Sharp-lobed liverwort (Hepatica acutiloba)

The site is publicly accessible although it requires a pass (same as for any WMA). I usually get a Fishing License; it costs $15 and is good for a year but you can also get a one day pass. You reach the parking area via a narrow dirt road that contains significant ruts so consider your vehicle choice carefully. You used to have to drive over a stream to reach it; they’ve built a small bridge over that now. Parking is in an open, graveled field that can be fun place to see early butterflies puddling for minerals.

The trail is part boardwalk and you can see most all of the plant types from there. For the adventurous and the able, there is a dirt path with roots and rocks that you can continue on until you reach the waterfall, but it is not required. From the parking area, you can also walk up the much wider trail that goes all the way to the top of the waterfall (it is called the Pocket Loop Trail). There are some different plants on the Pocket Loop Trail and it is easy walking; the top has a nice area for picnicking by the gurgling stream so bring lunch and something to sit on.

Here are some photos of what we saw on both trails; the Hepatica shown above is on both trails. On the Boardwalk trail, some of the tiniest flowers are up and some of the popular flowers (like Virginia bluebells) are just barely starting:

Claytonia caroliniana

Erigenia bulbosa 

Stellaria pubera

Mertensia virginica

On the Pocket Loop trail, the soil is a little drier:

Viola rostrata

Erigeron pulchellus

And even without flowers, you can find dried Hydrangea blooms, cool evergreen ferns, evergreen foliage of other plants, and mosses of all kinds.

Hydrangea arborescens will bloom in May

Walking fern

A fern duo at the top of the falls

Left to right: Heuchera, Sedum, Erigeron, Aquilegia

If you want to look ahead as to what you might see in March, check out my March 2017 blog post or my March 2012 blog post.

If you’re interested in other wildflower walks, check out this book about walks throughout Georgia. The Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail is their #1 recommendation.