Pre-registration is required. To register, email:
Note the early start time!
Description: We will brave the hot August weather to see a few rare plants that flower during the summer. Our goals will be Pickering’s dawnflower, Stylisma pickeringii, large white fringed orchid, Platanthera conspicua, Carolina pineland-cress, Warea cuneifolia, and yellow fringed orchid, Platanthera ciliaris. We will almost certainly come across a surprise or two, as well.
Special Considerations: Weather conditions in the sandhills during August are, quite frankly, miserable. Be prepared for very hot, very humid conditions. To see all the target species, we will have to walk into a bog. Bring rubber boots or shoes that you don’t mind getting wet and muddy.
Directions: From Butler, Georgia, take GA 96 west for 13 miles to GA 90. Turn south (left) on to GA 90 and go about 2 miles to Fox Run Road. Turn left onto Fox Run Rd. Follow Fox Run until it turns to dirt and the entrance to Sandhills WMA will be immediately on your right. Turn right and follow the sand road a short distance to the kiosk on the left. From Columbus, take US 80 to Geneva, where it becomes GA 96. Keep going east on GA 96. From Geneva, it is about 7 miles to GA 90. Turn right onto GA 90 and go 2 miles to Fox Run Rd. Turn left onto Fox Run and follow it until the pavement ends. The entrance to the WMA is on the right. Follow the entrance road for a short distance to the kiosk on the left. Do not use Google Maps coordinates for the WMA, they will take you to the wrong place. Use these coordinates instead: 32.569624535056036, -84.40708943882437 Do not try to come in on Watson Road, it is not a safe road and is gated at the WMA boundary.
Meet: 9:00 at the kiosk on Sandhills WMA West Tract.
Facilities: None.
Difficulty: Walking will be easy – short trips on deep sand. Heat will be the most difficult part of the trip. We’ll be close to vehicles for most of the day.
Bring: Lunch, water/cold drinks, camera, and a sense of adventure. A good hat will be necessary. Dress for very hot conditions.
Contact: Hal Massie, , 478-957-6095, cell reception may be poor on morning of trip.