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Greetings!
Welcome to the Blue Wall Weekly, your source for what's going on outside along the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment. Feel free to share your own photos, videos, and adventures along the Blue Wall by sending them to the email address at the bottom of the page, and we'll do our best to make you (locally) famous!
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Into the Wild
On a chill and drizzle-soaked day, I – a rank amateur – have the honor of exploring Jocassee’s deep ravines along with two of South Carolina’s premier botanists and one heroine of botanical documentation. The (plant) natives are restless this day, pushing baby stems and flower buds out of thin, sweet soil that harbors some of the world’s rarest wildflowers. We (humans) cling to near vertical slopes; creek-walk to secret waterfalls; slide down river-scoured rock on muddy rear ends. While the botanist types search for (and find) impossibly tiny ferns, I amuse myself by taking pictures of larger fern fiddleheads. The rain never stops; the sun never shines. Nevertheless, it really is the best of all the days. ~K
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SPECIAL EVENTS
WITH JOCASSEE LAKE TOURS
Public Photography Tour with Pam Barbour Book Now!
April 1: 7:00-10:00 AM
April 8: 7:00-10:00 AM
Hiking the Gorges
April 1: 8:30 AM- 4:00 PM (#1 Laurel Fork Falls to Laurel Valley) Book Now!
April 8: 8:30 AM- 1:00 PM (#2 Laurel Fork Falls to Canebrake) Book Now!
April 15: 8:30 AM-3:00 PM (#3 Canebrake to Horsepasture) Book Now!
April 22: 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (#4 Horsepasture to Bad Creek) Book Now!
Sunday Mornings with Brooks and Kay!
April 2: 11:00 AM-2:00 PM
April 5: 6:00-8:00 PM
Horned grebe in breeding plumage... a rare (for us) and wonderous sight!
Photo by Glenn Bartley, Birdzilla.org
Polygaloides paucifolia aka 'Gaywings',
Photo by David White
STATE PARK EVENTS
Oconee Station State Historic Site
Park Grounds Open Daily: 9:00 AM-6:00 PM
Originally a military compound and later a trading post, this Historic Site offers both recreational opportunities and a unique look at 18th and 19th century South Carolina.
Gorges State Park
April 1: 10:00-11:00 AM
Join a ranger for an optional 0.5-mile hike in Gorges State Park. Then, document some of the interesting scientific facts you have learned through the art of nature journaling!
OTHER OUTDOOR EVENTS
Conserving Carolina
March 31: 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
This hike will provide participants with a unique view of prehistoric petroglyphs as well as spectacular views of the Jocassee Gorges.
Western NC Backpackers
March 31-April 2: 3:00 PM-3:00 PM
Join us as we meander along the Wild & Scenic Chattooga River, see a few waterfalls, traverse the Ellicott Rock Wilderness, and finish out near Highlands, NC.
Mushroom Mountain
April 1: 8:30 AM-3:00 PM
This hands on workshop will cover everything needed to do sterile work indoors step by step for mushroom cultivation.
Foothills Trail Conservancy
April 1: 2:00-7:00 PM
Picnic will be at Table Rock State Park at the White Oak Shelter. Following the meal, a presentation will be given by Dr. Bill Ranson on Yosemite.
Highlands Biological Foundation
April 1: 4:00-5:00 PM
These free, community programs are led by knowledgeable guides that will take you on easy strolls through the Botanical Garden to explore stunning displays of spring wildflowers and learn about their unique characteristics and habitats.
Arisaema triphyllum aka Jack-in-the-Pulpit,
Photo by David Longley
Mushroom Mountain
April 1-2: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
This 5 year mushroom foraging permit meets the criteria required by the state health departments and formally approved for the foraging and selling of wild mushrooms in the following states: South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Rhode Island.
SC BOTANICAL GARDEN EVENTS
March 30: 4:00-5:30 PM
In this program, teens with an interest in the environment develop a greater appreciation of the natural world and its complexity.
March 31: 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
Join Allison Kelly, Natural Heritage Trail Manager, and Trent Miller, Collections Manager, to explore the many habitats along the Natural Heritage Trail.
April 1: 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Join expert naturalist, Tim Lee, and explore the SCBG's Natural Heritage Trail to discover the basic ecology of various South Carolina habitats.
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WEEKLY EVENTS
WITH JOCASSEE LAKE TOURS
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday:
11:00 AM-2:00 PM
FISHING ADVENTURES WITH CAPT. ZACH
Call to Book!
CALL OR BOOK ONLINE TO RESERVE SEATS
PRIVATE TOURS ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE!
THIS WEEK ON LAKE JOCASSEE
MARCH 27, 2023
It’s spring loon camp! Loon camp, that’s what our intrepid, loon loving volunteers have named our two periods each year of loon research on Jocassee. Winter Loon Camp and Spring Loon Camp. Too sweet, don’t you think. The winds are turning to the south, right on time for spring research into the behaviors and dynamics of spring loon migration, using Lake Jocassee as a significant stop-over lake. Friday, while out with a group of eager Wofford adult learners, we watched 4 loons, one a time mind you, run across the lake and take flight, only to land again some distance away. Not trying to leave just yet, just taking advantage of a strong southerly wind to build wing strength for their coming departure. Also, while on our way uplake, I saw a Horned Grebe in full breeding plumage, a rare treat to be seen just before they depart as well. And Bonaparte’s gulls most everywhere, their heads slowly turning black. Did I mention that? And to all you dedicated, life-listing birders out there, we saw the Pacific loon again on Thursday. So yes, he’s still here.
It’s a great time to be on the water.
BLOOM TIME! One of my favorite early spring flowers is the ‘Fringed Polygala’, also called ‘Gaywings’, Polygaloides paucifolia. In the Milkwort family (Polyglaceae), it blooms at Jocassee in March and into early April. It grows in oak/heath forests and sometimes acidic coves. Gaywings are considered uncommon to common north of the Blue Ridge escarpment but somewhat rare in the upper foothills/escarpment of SC. In addition, I saw my first Mountain Laurel blooming of the season (3/23/23) in a cove just west of the remote campground. Some of the other bloomers present include Heartleaf (Hexastylis heterophylla), Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), our beloved Oconee Bells and several others. Get out and explore!!~ David White, JLT guide & Forest Ecologist.
STATE PARK EVENTS
Table Rock State Park
April 8: 2:00-6:00 PM
Table Rock State Park
April 15: 3:00-10:00 AM
Jones Gap State Park
April 22: 10:00 AM-11:30 PM
OTHER OUTDOOR EVENTS
Mushroom Mountain
April 6: 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
Conestee Nature Preserve
April 6: 3:00-4:30 PM
KOBA
April 8: 9:00-11:00 AM
Conestee Nature Preserve
April 13: 4:00-5:30 PM
Upstate Forever
April 14: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Hagood Mill Historic Site
April 14-16
Foothills Trail Conservancy
April 15: 9:00 AM
Greenville County Bird Club
April 15: 7:00 AM-12:00 PM (Longer Walk)
April 15: 8:00-10:30 AM (Shorter Walk)
SCNPS
April 15: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
GNHA
April 15: 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Highlands Biological Foundation
April 18: 1:00-2:00 PM
SCNPS
April 18: 6:30-8:00 PM
Conestee Nature Preserve
April 20: 3:00-4:30 PM
Oconee History Museum
April 20: 7:00 PM
Foothills Trail Conservancy
April 22: 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Hagood Mill Historic Site
April 22: 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Highlands Biological Foundation
April 22: 12:00-3:00 PM
SC BOTANICAL GARDEN EVENTS
April 7: 2:00-6:00 PM
April 8: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
April 11: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
April 19: 2:00-4:00 PM
April 22: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM
READY TO RAMBLE A LITTLE FURTHER? CHECK OUT WHAT THESE FRIENDS HAVE TO OFFER!
BORROWED GLIMPSES
Uvularia grandiflora 'large-flowered bellwort' aka merrybells,
Photo by Bill Robertson
TIME IS RUNNING OUT!
Buy a tee shirt or sweatshirt and
help get James Brown Elementary kids
OUTSIDE
and into the Jocassee Gorges!
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DID YOU KNOW?
NameThatPlant.net is a botanical log of South Carolina plants which currently features 26,443 images of 3,971 plants*. The images show plants in different seasons (not just in flower!) For over half of these taxa, the pronunciation of at least one of its scientific names or synonyms is demonstrated by the click of a button. This site has been created, and is maintained and continuously updated, by a super-human named Janie Marlow. Check it out! And THANK YOU JANIE!
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ABOUT THE BLUE WALL
Spanning three states (North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) and encompassing 859,000 acres, the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment, known as the 'Blue Wall' by Native Americans, contains some of the highest natural diversity of rare plants and animals found anywhere in the world.
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Phone: 864-280-5501
Jocassee Lake Tours Depart from the Main Dock at Devils Fork State Park
PLEASE CALL 864-280-5501 AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO RESERVE YOUR SEATS!
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Enjoy this Lake Jocassee peaceful hideaway.
CAMP GLAMP!
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Love Jocassee? Help protect and preserve the beauty of Lake Jocassee and the Jocassee Gorges by joining FOJ!
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Visit Oconee Convention and Visitors Bureau
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Your Portal to Paradise!
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Lake Jocassee
&
Lake Keowee
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