Post by sumatra on Apr 6, 2009 21:53:50 GMT
Hello. I am a UK CP enthusiast and naturalist with a particular interest in seeing CP's in the wild, and a special affection for Sarracenia.
I am starting to plan a visit to the SE USA (which is to say I have opened negotiations with my wife!) with the hope of coming in May or June 2009.
I visited the SE USA in 1988 (Appalachicola National Forest & Okefenokee) and again in 1999 (Appalachicola & Okefenokee again, but also further west into Alabama & Mississippi) - both wonderful trips during which I saw all the species of Sarracenia (except oreophila of course), and many associated CP's. (I wrote up these trips in the UK CPS Journal)
A major unfulfilled ambition is to see VFT in the wild. I did see the population in N.Florida, but most people say this is naturalised, and I want to see VFT truly at home in NC.
I am interested in natural history generally and seeing CP's in the best environments is more important to me than simply ticking off species and varieties.
I know it seems a long time before 2009, but a year goes in a flash, and as I am travelling from the UK I obviously want to plan ahead and make the best use of my time.
There are terrific resources on the internet (this forum being one of them!) but any local advice which will help me make the best of my trip will be much appreciated.
Obviously I am looking for pointers to the best sites - which for somebody in my position means reasonably accessible and above all, reliable. Presumably this will mean protected areas and similar sites for the most part.
Never having visited the Carolinas, I would particularly appreciate any advice about sites in those states, particularly where best to see the sacred VFT.
I plan to spend 10 to 14 days in all, probably flying to Atlanta, hiring a car, and using motels and what you folks usually call inns. (If my wife joins me - more of the latter!)
I had thought of starting with NC and SC, then the Okefenokee (one of my most favourite places) and ending up in the Apalachicola NF before returning to Atlanta - in other words a sort of triangle. This should be feasible in the time?
Any advice, especially of key sites and where best to base myself, will be much appreciated.
Finally, is it absolutely out of the question to try and see S.oreophila in the wild? I do realise how rare it is, and I get the impression its sites are pretty remote and inaccessible (and probabably not near my proposed routes), but I thought it was worth asking on the off-chance.
Thanks anyway.
Stephen Locke
I am starting to plan a visit to the SE USA (which is to say I have opened negotiations with my wife!) with the hope of coming in May or June 2009.
I visited the SE USA in 1988 (Appalachicola National Forest & Okefenokee) and again in 1999 (Appalachicola & Okefenokee again, but also further west into Alabama & Mississippi) - both wonderful trips during which I saw all the species of Sarracenia (except oreophila of course), and many associated CP's. (I wrote up these trips in the UK CPS Journal)
A major unfulfilled ambition is to see VFT in the wild. I did see the population in N.Florida, but most people say this is naturalised, and I want to see VFT truly at home in NC.
I am interested in natural history generally and seeing CP's in the best environments is more important to me than simply ticking off species and varieties.
I know it seems a long time before 2009, but a year goes in a flash, and as I am travelling from the UK I obviously want to plan ahead and make the best use of my time.
There are terrific resources on the internet (this forum being one of them!) but any local advice which will help me make the best of my trip will be much appreciated.
Obviously I am looking for pointers to the best sites - which for somebody in my position means reasonably accessible and above all, reliable. Presumably this will mean protected areas and similar sites for the most part.
Never having visited the Carolinas, I would particularly appreciate any advice about sites in those states, particularly where best to see the sacred VFT.
I plan to spend 10 to 14 days in all, probably flying to Atlanta, hiring a car, and using motels and what you folks usually call inns. (If my wife joins me - more of the latter!)
I had thought of starting with NC and SC, then the Okefenokee (one of my most favourite places) and ending up in the Apalachicola NF before returning to Atlanta - in other words a sort of triangle. This should be feasible in the time?
Any advice, especially of key sites and where best to base myself, will be much appreciated.
Finally, is it absolutely out of the question to try and see S.oreophila in the wild? I do realise how rare it is, and I get the impression its sites are pretty remote and inaccessible (and probabably not near my proposed routes), but I thought it was worth asking on the off-chance.
Thanks anyway.
Stephen Locke
