{"id":15416,"date":"2021-05-08T11:39:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-08T15:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jfowlerphotography.com\/?p=15416"},"modified":"2021-05-10T18:42:38","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T22:42:38","slug":"sweet-home-alabama-2021-05-07-and-08","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jfowlerphotography.net\/?p=15416","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Sweet Home Alabama&#8221; &#8212; 2021-05-07 and 08"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the words of Lynyrd Skynyrd:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Sweet Home Alabama<br \/>\nWhere the skies are so blue<br \/>\nSweet Home Alabama<br \/>\nLord I&#8217;m comin&#8217; home to you&#8230;<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Although I am from South Carolina, these are appropriate words for a state that is 3rd in endemic species and rare plants. At least that&#8217;s what I read on the Internet. And if it&#8217;s on the Internet, it&#8217;s true, right? This weekend trip took me farther afield that I&#8217;m used to traveling and into areas that are underlain with sandstone and limestone, lending to a much different habitat\/environment than I normally see in the foothills and mountains of the Carolinas. It&#8217;s always exciting for me to see these different environments, because I will inevitably see wildflower species that are new to me.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Alan Cressler, my good photographer buddy from Atlanta, Georgia and another good friend, Noah Yawn from Birmingham, Alabama decided they would let me tag along on a trip to three counties in northeastern Alabama to see some very rare plants. The target species was a newly described <strong>Wild Ginger\/Heartleaf<\/strong> called <em>Hexastylis finzelii<\/em> or <strong>Finzel&#8217;s Wild Ginger<\/strong>. Several years ago a small population was found near Lake Guntersville in Marshall County, Alabama. Then Alan found a much larger population a few miles away also in Marshall County. As far as is known, these are the only populations of this rare plant. Here is an image of this strange wildflower:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jfowlerphotography.net\/?p=15416\"><img title=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170330936_32ede8b0ba_b.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" width=\"600\" height=\"910\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><strong>Finzel&#8217;s Wild Ginger<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>It has more than a superficial resemblance to another rare <strong>Wild Ginger<\/strong>, <em>Hexastylis speciosa<\/em> or <strong>Harper&#8217;s Heartleaf<\/strong>. If I were to be asked, my guess would be that it is an ancient cross between <em>H. speciosa<\/em> and <em>H. arifolia<\/em> or <strong>Little Brown Jugs<\/strong>. Here are example images of both of those, below:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/32817356797_5cc939d929_c.jpg\" alt=\"Harper's Heartleaf\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/33883986048_a6d9f37f21_c.jpg\" alt=\"Little Brown Jugs\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>This new species is not as showy as <em>H. speciosa<\/em>, but it is much showier than <em>H. arifolia<\/em>. Actually, almost anything is showier than <em>H. arifolia<\/em>, a rather homely little flowering plant. But, all three species have the characteristic, elongated, heart-shaped leaf, which makes for difficult identification until the leaf litter is brushed away from the base of the plant where the flowers appear.<\/p>\n<p>These were not the first wildflowers we had seen and photographed on this trip, but because this was the target species, I thought I&#8217;d cover these first.<\/p>\n<p>We arrived at the non-descript site, parked our vehicles, gathered our camera gear, and entered the woods. By this time, a new field-tripper had joined the group &#8212; Jonathan Jones, a friend of both Alan and Noah. All three of them are interested in other aspects of nature besides plants, so when they eventually started talking about caving and Indian art and artifacts, I just concentrated on my wildflower photography. I figured I&#8217;d probably pick up some useful information by just listening.<\/p>\n<p>The habitat for <strong>Finzel&#8217;s Wild Ginger<\/strong> is open woods peppered with limestone boulders. I didn&#8217;t know about its particular affinity for limestone, but the only place we saw it growing was in close association with limestone rocks. I&#8217;m deducing that it wants a high pH, but that&#8217;s just by my observation. We began to see small plants almost immediately, but those didn&#8217;t have flowers or had only one or two flowers at most. We were looking for some plants with a larger number of flowers for photography purposes.<\/p>\n<p>After climbing a gentle slope with outcrops of limestone, we found a few nice-sized plants with four or more flowers. Some of the flowers were more open than others, and not being very familiar with this particular species, I didn&#8217;t know if we were just a bit early for them or if there was variability in the morphology of the flower, itself. Here are some shots of these interesting plants:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170328916_d5ff0a9e59_c.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171421280_583f98631c_c.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170327836_71df249f9e_b.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" \/><\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169658797_3294a0f2ed_c.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170329126_fc73b545f3_c.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171113774_750f89a50a_b.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169656407_97cf0f115e_b.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171113274_7cc9ba4033_b.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We even found one group with 13 flowers!!!<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170328756_36d0216440_b.jpg\" alt=\"Finzel's Wild Ginger\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I have to credit Jonathan for finding this one. Although he&#8217;s just getting into studying Alabama&#8217;s rare wildflowers, he has a good eye for locating them in the woods.<\/p>\n<p>Now, I&#8217;ll take you back a full day to where Alan and I made our first stop in Cherokee County, Alabama, just across the border with Georgia. I had seen images of a rather rare plant known as <em>Clematis socialis<\/em> or <strong>Alabama Leatherflower<\/strong>.  It is native just to Alabama and Georgia, where it is known from only five populations. The species is seriously threatened by habitat destruction. Where we saw it was along a power line right-of-way, and I fear that it will eventually be sprayed into obliteration along with many of the other roadside wildflowers we saw at this site. We arrived and pulled off onto an old driveway leading to an abandoned farm. I really did not know what to expect except that Alan said the plants were growing along the roadside.<\/p>\n<p>We gathered our gear and proceeded to walk under the power lines. In short order, we saw a small patch of the plants, but only one or two flowers were present. This was not looking especially good, since I had expected to see lots of flowers. We walked a bit farther, and came across another patch of plants. Here, there were numerous open flowers, and this is what we had come to see. It is unusual for me to see <strong>Clematis<\/strong> vining along the ground. What I normally see is a plant produce a long, rambling vine, stretching up and grabbing on to any taller plant that is nearby. But these were entirely on the ground, and the flowers were raised only 1 foot (~30 dm) above ground. The long, thin leaves resembled a grass of sorts, and were thick in each of the large patches we found. Here are some shots of this <em>Clematis socialis<\/em> species:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169658142_691354cce1_b.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Leatherflower\" \/><\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169658397_f05985d0e1_c.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Leatherflower\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170559128_e39b26439d_c.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Leatherflower\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Most of the flowers were of a powder blue color on the outside with a dark purple\/maroon color on the inside of the petals. The flower petals are fused almost all the way to the apex of the petal. The flower, itself, is rather firm and leathery &#8212; thus the name, <strong>Leatherflower<\/strong>. Btw, almost all of the grass-like leave you see in these images belong to this plant. Here are some additional images:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169658392_bddb82f895_c.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Leatherflower\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171423825_638bc3c957_c.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Leatherflower\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171423470_025265fec4_c.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Leatherflower\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171422175_3a38d6db49_c.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Leatherflower\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Try as I might, I had a difficult time getting a decent image of the overall feel of these patches of wildflowers. Here is the best I could achieve:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170558968_dfbdc9aa67_b.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Leatherflower\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Near where we parked, there were other wildflower species. One of these was a lovely, pinkish-purple wildflower known as <em>Oxalis olivacea<\/em> or <strong>Violet Wood Sorrel<\/strong>. Although it&#8217;s not a particularly rare species, I had never had the opportunity to photograph it:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170558548_45b0d5a87b_b.jpg\" alt=\"Violet Wood Sorrel\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, plants are considered rare because they are disjunct from their normal population centers. The species in question here is <em>Schoenolirion wrightii<\/em> or <strong>Texas Sunnybells<\/strong>. Most of the <strong>Sunnybells<\/strong> that I&#8217;m familiar with have bright yellow flowers, but for <strong>Texas Sunnybells<\/strong>, the flower petals are white. <\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170329156_cf9d2ce0f6_c.jpg\" alt=\"Texas Sunnybells\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171114224_5b557e07fa_c.jpg\" alt=\"Texas Sunnybells\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170557888_c0f48be730_b.jpg\" alt=\"Texas Sunnybells\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We found 3 or 4 plants just going past bloom. This was also a new species for me to photograph. And, seeing that it was an S1 classified species made it all the more special. S1 &#8211; Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals making it especially vulnerable in the state.<\/p>\n<p>Later, Alan would spot a large population of them along the roadside:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171114464_6d7337e2e2_b.jpg\" alt=\"Texas Sunnybells\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The last species we photographed at this site was <em>Polygala nana<\/em> or <strong>Candyroot<\/strong>. The root has a sweet liquorice flavor when it is chewed, but it is usually hidden underground until the plant flowers. I had seen it several years ago in the Panhandle of Florida, but I had not seen it since. So, it was good to be able to photograph it once again in perfect bloom:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170330026_307333a767_b.jpg\" alt=\"Candyroot\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169657882_b8bab7f97b_b.jpg\" alt=\"Candyroot\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Just down the road from the large patch of <strong>Texas Sunnybells<\/strong>, was a large drift of <em>Marshallia obovata<\/em> or <strong>Piedmont Barbara&#8217;s Buttons<\/strong>. It&#8217;s pom-pom shaped, creamy-white flowers, stuck out like little flares along the roadside. They were hard to miss, especially in such large numbers:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170330266_5fac3abe3a_b.jpg\" alt=\"Piedmont Barbara's Buttons\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171115109_cc4b50daa2_c.jpg\" alt=\"Piedmont Barbara's Buttons\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>There is Alan in the distance photographing these <strong>Piedmont Barbara&#8217;s Buttons<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171115154_da3f5289c0_b.jpg\" alt=\"Alan photographing Piedmont Barbara's Buttons\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One site Alan wanted to show me was also in Cherokee County. It was a little-known bog site that is the home of a rare <strong>Pitcher Plant<\/strong>. The species is <em>Sarracenia oreophila<\/em> or <strong>Green Pitcher Plant<\/strong>. These <strong>Pitcher Plant<\/strong> bog sites are so rare that I&#8217;m probably not even sure it&#8217;s OK to tell you that it is in Cherokee County. But I guess I just did&#8230; Rare and fragile. The Nature Conservancy has taken over the site and is maintaining it by trimming the woody shrubs and small trees that continually sprout, shading out these very rare <strong>Pitcher Plants<\/strong>. Here are some images taken that show the clumping nature of these plants. Fortunately, they were in full bloom:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171114594_a9c7a4929c_b.jpg\" alt=\"Green Pitcher Plant\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169657137_485f2bb950_c.jpg\" alt=\"Green Pitcher Plant\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170329776_79ed8335ae_b.jpg\" alt=\"Green Pitcher Plant\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169657502_88d2bd9dd1_b.jpg\" alt=\"Green Pitcher Plant\" \/><\/p>\n<p>From there, we travelled to a spot very near Lake Guntersville. We pulled off along the shoulder of the road where we saw a large group of <em>Polymnia canadensis<\/em> or <strong>Whiteflower Leaf-cup<\/strong>. I think it may have been renamed as <em>Polymnia radiata<\/em>, but I&#8217;m not sure. In any case, it&#8217;s a strikingly beautiful plant with beautiful foliage. The flowers are white and daisy-like with white ray-petals and true yellow flowers in the center disk. As I recall, the stem and leaves are quite glandular and rather sticky to the touch. Here are some images:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170326966_7ecf51dd5f_c.jpg\" alt=\"Whiteflower Leaf-cup\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171419875_cba85d8084_c.jpg\" alt=\"Whiteflower Leaf-cup\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169654762_d15f7ce21b_b.jpg\" alt=\"Whiteflower Leaf-cup\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Another attraction to this spot is the appearance <em>Delphinium alabamicum<\/em> or <strong>Alabama Larkspur<\/strong> that grows in the fairly deep shade of the woods. The flowers are borne on a tall, thin stem, and are a bright, electric blue. This color is almost unmatched in nature:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169659192_d8a6b9c88e_b.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Larkspur\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171116329_db0d6c9196_c.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Larkspur\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171424565_34a63ecb00_b.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Larkspur\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Here is an image of the foliage:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170559623_94e52bce0b_b.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Larkspur foliage\" \/><\/p>\n<p>They were just coming into bloom, and there were hundreds of plants that were still in tight bud. I can only imagine what it will look like when they are all in full bloom!<\/p>\n<p>As we were about to leave the site, Noah looked down and spotted a beautiful specimen of <em>Matelea carolinensis<\/em> or <strong>Carolina Milkvine<\/strong>. It is a close relative of the <strong>Milkweeds<\/strong>, (it&#8217;s in the <strong>Dogbane<\/strong> family) and we do have this species in the Carolinas. Like the <strong>Milkweeds<\/strong>, it produces a milky sap. I&#8217;m always happy to see this one because it is so photogenic:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171112634_90d92778c4_b.jpg\" alt=\"Carolina Milkvine\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m not very familiar with the ferns, but I know one when I see one. Alan pointed out this one which was growing out of the crack in a large boulder. It is <em>Myriopteris alabamensis<\/em> or <strong>Alabama Lip Fern<\/strong>. I thought it was quite handsome:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171420460_3ffc666e75_b.jpg\" alt=\"Myriopteris alabamensis (Alabama Lip Fern) and Polypodium virginianum (Rock Polypody)\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171420590_68a4b6b4fd_b.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Lip Fern\" \/> <\/p>\n<p>We had one more site to visit before I had to head back on my 5.5-hour drive home. This next site was in adjoining Jackson County. It contained the rare endemic, <em>Penstemon kralii<\/em> or <strong>Kral&#8217;s Beardtongue<\/strong>. I&#8217;ve seen plenty of <strong>Beardtongue<\/strong> species in my time, but this one has to have the smallest flowers of them all. This is another S1 classified species, and is found in only 4 counties in Alabama. <\/p>\n<p>When we pulled off on the side of the road, I was wondering where we were headed, because most <strong>Beardtongue<\/strong> species I&#8217;ve see love full sunlight. Alan gathered his camera gear and headed off into the deep woods. Well, soon, we were in a spot that had a bit of dappled sunlight and was on a seep in the hillside. Here, there were 3 or 4 plants that, upon close inspection were indeed <strong>Beardtongue<\/strong> &#8212; with tiny <strong>Beardtongue<\/strong> flowers:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171420170_688f592fb5_c.jpg\" alt=\"Kral's Beardtongue\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170327366_9279c49c59_c.jpg\" alt=\"Kral's Beardtongue\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51169655222_094e424142_b.jpg\" alt=\"Kral's Beardtongue\" \/> <\/p>\n<p>Whew! What a couple of days of botanizing. I was finally heading back home and was filled with thoughts of what we had seen these past two days. Even the abominable traffic through Atlanta didn&#8217;t manage to dull the experience. Now that I&#8217;m sharing these moments with you, I am again reliving the adventure. Part of why I record these experiences is so that I will have a reference point to return to when the dark days of winter are upon us. The larger part is to share these experiences with all of you. That is the fulfilling part of it. I guess I might have made an OK teacher because of my love of sharing knowledge, but I suppose I&#8217;ll never know.<\/p>\n<p>I will share a site with you where there is a huge sandstone monolith sticking right out of the ground in Marshall County, Alabama.. How it got there or, moreover, how it got there and became upright is up for heated debate. Alan has photographed it before, and on the side about chest high, is a carved cartouche or plaque, of sorts. It&#8217;s about 12 inches (30 cm) square, and it appears to contain what some call <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cherokee_syllabary\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cherokee syllabary<\/a>. Using oblique lighting, one can barely make out two rows of letters &#8212; strange for our writing style, but they seem to fit into the syllabary style. I was unable to photograph it properly, but Alan is the master of Native American art photography, and he has several images on his Flickr site which represent the Cherokee syllabary. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/alan_cressler\/51115854182\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a> is one of those images.<\/p>\n<p>The monolith is, like I said, huge. I estimate it to be more than 20 feet (6 meters) tall and about 15 feet (4.6 meters) wide. It is quite a relatively thin slab of sandstone for its height. Here are a couple of images with Jonathan standing there for scale:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170882066_64756b21ce_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sandstone Monolith\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 0px;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51171979525_c25273e3b5_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sandstone Monolith\" width=\"450\" height=\"677\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Makes you wonder what else is out there&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to Noah, here is the final image of the day. Left to right: Jonathan, Alan, Noah, and Jim:<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/51170320762_284d0ba5d0_b.jpg\" alt=\"Left to Right: Jonathan, Alan, Noah, and Jim\" \/><\/p>\n<p>My next &#8220;planned&#8221; adventure is happening next weekend along the Carolina Coastal Plain. <\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;Jim<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the words of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Sweet Home Alabama Where the skies are so blue Sweet Home Alabama Lord I&#8217;m comin&#8217; home to you&#8230; Although I am from South Carolina, these are appropriate words for a state that is 3rd in endemic species and rare plants. At least that&#8217;s what I read on the Internet. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Sweet Home Alabama&quot; - 2021-05-07 and 08 - Jim Fowler Photography<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jfowlerphotography.net\/?p=15416\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Sweet Home Alabama&quot; - 2021-05-07 and 08 - Jim Fowler Photography\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the words of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Sweet Home Alabama Where the skies are so blue Sweet Home Alabama Lord I&#8217;m comin&#8217; home to you&#8230; Although I am from South Carolina, these are appropriate words for a state that is 3rd in endemic species and rare plants. 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