The wildflowers on Arabia Mountain are at their peak just now. My husband, Richard, loves to take photos of them and he allows me to share them here with you. Enjoy.
The bright red Diamorpha is a joy to behold but incredibly the plant blooms with a tiny white cross-like flower in the Spring. Gorgeous!
JOY! Before I knew what these were called, I used to call these "joyflowers" because they gave me such joy! They are called SANDWORT. ("Wort" is an Old English word which means "root", something I learned in my reading...I am not a botanist or a linguist!)
Can you see the white blooms on the Diamorpha, the yellow of the Hairy Groundsel and the spring greens of the trees? Beauty in lots of colors!
What a delightful name for a flower! These are Sunnybells!
My husband and I truly love walking at Arabia Mountain. The view on the horizon, the clouds, the wildflowers, the pools of water, the trees...even the rock itself is a different color depending on how the sunlight falls upon it. I just met a woman on a walk at Panola Mountain and when I asked her if she was familiar with Arabia, she told me that she had "trained" by running up the mountain. I suggested that she might want to go back and LOOK at what she must have missed! There are lots of paved trails but Arabia Mountain itself...I am sorry, but I think this is something special and should be treated as such.
Even though Arabia Mountain was heavily quarried for many years, the wonder of Nature is taking it back but only for those who have the eyes to see it!
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Toadflax - Very hard to photograph, the color is a gorgeous shade of lavender! |
It is as if these flowers are blooming on solid rock, but of course, it is just a very small amount of soil that has collected on the rock that supports this plant, the magnificent Diamorpha. (Elf orpine it is called but since it is Diamorpha smalli, we have always called it Diamorpha!)
Hope you liked this hike with us at Arabia Mountain. All of these photos were taken late afternoon on April 11th. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
(I have so many posts that I have in mind for you, but as always, very little time to compose my thoughts!)
Kay, Your mountain is wonderful. I love all those beautiful flowers. It's amazing how pretty the flowers are and how they grow in so little dirt. Blessings, xoxo,Susie
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susie. It really is amazing!
DeleteThat mountain is beautiful...wild in a way and yet tamed, too. The flowers are gorgeous and I love how they grow all over the place with not much soil to take root in. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteYou would love it! xx
DeleteWhat gorgeous splashes of colour!
ReplyDeleteYes, the colours are great, and in your HONOUR, I just used those spellings!
DeleteIt always amazes me what pops up after a little rain wherever there is a bit of dirt. I'm so thankful you and Richard took the time to take these shots.
ReplyDeleteAnd when we have a heavy rainfall, Richard and I can't wait to see Arabia Mountain, since that means there will be waterfalls coming down on the side of the mountain towards the lake...beautiful!
DeleteAs always, Richard has contributed the most beautiful pictures, and yours are the words that go with them. Thank you for a wonderful morning coffee read & look on this sunny Sunday morning!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, German and English have a lot in common in linguistic terms. The old English word "wort" is therefore, hardly suprising, nearly the same as the old German "wurz", with the same meaning of "root". Today, the German word for root is Wurzel.
Oh good, I am glad that you enjoyed your coffee as you "walked" up the mountain with us! :-)
DeleteThanks for telling me about the German for "root", I find that very interesting!
Your pictures are a joy to behold. I am looking forward to our spring "happening" - hopefully soon. Our weather is so wet, windy and decidedly chilly. At the moment Primroses are the only flowers braving the weather in my garden. x
ReplyDeleteHope your Spring will come along soon! Believe it or not, our low on Tuesday night is expected to be 35 degrees! (That's Fahrenheit, please don't ask what that is in Celcius, I never can figure that out!) Guess what, I have the Grist Mill from Stone Mountain as my header photo just now, it is from a few years ago, but it still looks just like that! xx
DeleteMeant to say - Ta muchly for the Grist Mill as your header. I had forgotten all about that Mill - another memory restored.
DeleteSomeday i want to come see your mountains/monadnocks in person.
ReplyDeleteI think that I have read that Stone Mountain is one of the most visited spots in Georgia! Hope you will climb it one day!
DeleteHi Kay! Always good to see you and thanks for dropping by today.
ReplyDeleteArabia Mountain is truly a magnificent place! We would love to roam around there! I remember your past posts about this location. Simply beautiful. Thanks for sharing! I wonder if any Snowy Owls venture that far south in search of a good meal or two?
We have lots of owls in Georgia! And we have seen them at Arabia Mountain too! I don't think we have a snowy owl though, although after our snows this winter, who really knows for sure? HA!
DeleteIt looks a very special place. Great colours. Everyone is different and enjoys the outdoors in their own fashion and each thinks their way to appreciate it is the best. A lot of people go to a gym to get fit and pay hard cash to cycle on a static bike indoors. At least she was running outside and age will soon have her slowing down on Arabia mountain. I used to run up hills sometimes as well... but not any more :o(
ReplyDeletePanola Mountain is protected, you are not allowed to walk up the mountain without a guide. Arabia Mountain does not have this protection, so I think people who love the wildflowers should point out the uniqueness of the monadnock. I don't want you to think that I hit the poor lady over the head or something! I only gently suggested that she notice the wildflowers. I think she saw my look of horror when she said that she ran up the mountain, I am not very good at masking my feelings!
Delete(By the way, we noticed several of these areas on the mountain, they are just like sand pits, and we saw big footprints where the flowers were not growing...evidence of people walking or running where they should not be.)
Love seeing the sunny bells and all the other colors. Thanks for allowing us to tag along on your hike!
ReplyDeleteThanks, you would love this, I am sure of it!
DeleteAn unusual sight to have flowers growing on a rocky surface. Love the photos!
ReplyDeleteWe're still a ways off from any flowers, so your pictures are such a nice change! Lovely photos of a lovely place. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking us on this hike up Arabia Mountain ~it is quite spectacular ! I also loved reading your profile story ~ what a dream come true :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing in April is an understatement Kay.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! These are absolutely stunning photos. It makes you smile just to look at them. I love it! I wish I could be there in spring too.
ReplyDelete