A nature preserve in McCormick County, South Carolina. It is managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. It covers 434 acres (1.76 km2), and was established to protect rare animal and plant species. What makes it unique are the rocks which make up the north face of the slope. Most soils in the Piedmont and Appalachian Mountains are acidic. These soils, which are rich from being part of the bottomlands, are basic. This results in plants rare in South Carolina but common in Ohio and other areas west of the Appalachians. Which raises the question, how did these plants (species) come to a location maybe 200 m long by 20 m wide. Obviously not from northwest of the Appalachians as the prevailing winds are from the southwest. Either the species derived themselves at this location or most likely, plasticizing from having the changed pH and mineral content and changing a nearby and more common species.

The premier site to visit and photograph spring ephemerals in the Midstate. The most spectacular basic-mesic forest in SC and perhaps the entire Piedmont of the eastern US.

Piedmont, SC
TRAIL: 1.9 miles
HABITAT: basic-mesic forest, dry-mesic oak-hickory, bottomland hardwoods, successional pine forest
ELEVATION: 70 - 110 m; (230 - 355 ft)
BLOOM TIME: