PINE–HARDWOOD MIX
In the Piedmont, forests have a more even mix of pine and oak than in the upper mountains. Here, hardwoods such as black and red oak live among the various pine species, while water oak, often used for lumber, grows along streams in this region as well as the Coastal Plain.
The moist soil in the Piedmont’s lowlands supports the American elm as well. On trails in the Piedmont you’ll likely see black walnut, which can be 100 feet high and produce a dark-brown knot that grows within a yellow-green hull. Also common are sweet gums, which produce a spiked, round fruit that you’ll see scattered along the trail. Residing in most parts of Georgia is the popular dogwood, which blooms in brilliant white or pink.
Plants and Wildflowers
The trails surrounding Atlanta are rich in plant life, with thousands of species too numerous to list here, but you will encounter several plants frequently that are worthy of mention. Some of the most beautiful forest areas in the northern mountains have thick groves of rhododendrons, which bloom pink and white in late spring. Another member of the rhododendron genus, flame azalea, is easily spotted in higher elevations, with its fiery orange blooms. Along the mountain slopes you will also encounter thickets of mountain laurels whose star-shaped flowers bloom pink and white from May to June. As you hike in Georgia’s higher elevations you may encounter a strong, mucky odor; look to the sides of the trail to pick out heart-shaped galax, whose leaves turn red in winter. This plant was once harvested for holiday decorations. Other wildflower species of the Valley and Ridge and Blue Ridge areas include bloodroot, pink lady’s slipper, trillium, May apple, and dwarf iris.
The woodlands of north Georgia are also rich in fern species. In areas with moist soil you can find rattlesnake ferns and large beds of New York ferns. Christmas ferns, which require drainage, tend to populate the mountain slopes.
Trillium (photo: Dranrebedrali/ CC-BY-SA-3.0; commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trillium_with_the_leaves.jpg)
Cinnamon ferns grow along streams and in swampy areas throughout Georgia, including the Piedmont region. Riverside trails in the Piedmont, such as those along the Chattahoochee River, are alive with violets, trillium, bloodroot, and Solomon’s seal.
A very different kind of Piedmont plant life can be found on the granite outcrops of Stone Mountain and Panola Mountain State Park. On the exposed slabs of rock, tiny Diamorpha plants and other species grow in solution pits (small plots of shallow sand and soil). Some of these plants are nearly invisible without close inspection, and they represent the earliest stage of plant succession, whereby one plant community replaces another until the area reaches a climax, such as becoming a mature forest.
Animals
If you’ve never spooked a flock of wild turkey, you’d be surprised by the noise, as they explode from the trees like a gun blast. And if you have never watched deer grazing in an open field, you would be humbled by the peacefulness of that moment. Georgia trails provide excellent opportunities to observe birds, large mammals, reptiles, and other wildlife, whether you’re exploring remote mountain trails or shepherding a child down a nature trail.
MAMMALS
At 2 a.m. one September night in the Cohutta Wilderness, I heard a gruff snort outside my tent. With the flick of a lantern switch, I could see the head and shoulders of a black bear on the other side of the mesh. Fortunately, my early-morning visitor merely shuffled off. It was a heart-pounding moment to be sure, but also one of my favorites—nothing gets your head buzzing and heart racing like seeing a mammal in the wilderness. The forests of Georgia are the stomping grounds not only of black bears but also white-tailed deer, several species of bats, squirrels, mice, tiny shrews, raccoons, skunks, red foxes, and coyotes. I once saw an armadillo slip into a hole at the base of a tree while I was hiking a bottomland trail on Pine Mountain. And I faced the charge of an opossum while walking a path in northeast Georgia. (I took its hissing as a warning to not poach its dinner—a dead snake it had just dropped at the edge of the trail.) While an encounter with a large mammal (or short, stocky opossum) gets the adrenaline going, remember that you should view them with caution but not necessarily as a threat. In my encounters with black bears I’ve found that if I call out to warn them of my presence and stand still for a few minutes, they will simply move on.
BIRDS
The state of Georgia is home to more than 300 species of birds, and several spots are considered good birding areas, such as F. D. Roosevelt State Park southwest of Atlanta, Kennesaw Mountain slightly northwest of the city, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, and the state’s northeast mountains.
The mountains in northeast Georgia are especially interesting because this is the southern terminus for some birds typically seen in more northern areas and not found elsewhere in Georgia. Georgia birding expert Giff Beaton identifies the trail up to the summit of Brasstown Bald as a great place to look for some of Georgia’s highest-elevation breeders. “Here you might see veery and rose-breasted grosbeak, along with the more typical mountain species,” he says. “Watch and listen above for the croaking of common ravens, which have a nest near here, and always watch above for hawks as well, since broad-winged hawks nest here too.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a birding enthusiast all his life, so it’s fitting that the National Audubon Society has declared Pine Mountain (the location of F. D. Roosevelt State Park) a place of importance for birding. Beaton suspects that this high mountain range might also have northern species like scarlet tanager and ovenbird. Hardwood forests have other interesting species, such as summer tanager, wood thrush, great crested flycatcher, yellow-throated warbler, and black-and-white warbler, plus red-eyed and yellow-throated vireo.
While you’re hiking trails along the Chattahoochee River, look for migratory birds such as common yellowthroat, as well as wood ducks, great blue herons, and red-headed woodpeckers. In the Gold Branch unit you might also see swans cruising across a river inlet.
Falcons and hawks can be seen soaring over the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. And this is a prime spot to look for some 20 species of warblers.
Many hiking areas in the Piedmont region feature marshes and beaver ponds. In pretty much any pond habitat, look year-round for waterbirds, breeding wood ducks, green herons, and red-winged blackbirds. In summer you might see swallows feeding on insects over the water.
AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES
About 30 species of frogs call Georgia home, 12 of which inhabit the small ponds in Smithgall Woods near Cleveland. These include bellowing bullfrogs, the green “banjo” frog that makes a plucking sound, and the wood frog that sort of cackles. The American toad also inhabits Smithgall’s wetlands. As you hike along the Chattahoochee River and other waterways in the Piedmont, look for the upland chorus frog, which is between ¾ and 1⅜ inches long and has a brown or gray body. All across Georgia you can see the eastern box turtle. I have encountered them many places, from streamside trails at Pine Mountain to an elevation of 4,000 feet on the Wagon Trail leading to the state’s high point at Brasstown Bald.
Signage along the Non-Game Interpretive Trail, Moccasin Creek State Park (Trip 54)
Salamanders are another type of amphibian seen in Georgia wetlands. In northern areas, such as Moccasin Creek State Park near Clayton, look for the spotted salamander, which has a blue-black body with yellow spots and orange stripes on its back.
Dozens