Most people wouldn’t think a stretch of swampy woods in rural Nash County would be a home to rare plants, yet in late March to early April there is indeed a show to be seen. At first glance there isn’t much to see from the highway, but a thick tangle of the bear shrubs and leafless trees. That is until you step inside the woods. Here growing in the wet soil are trout lilies by the hundreds, and the best prize of all a large colony of the rare Carolina Least Trillium – Trillium pusillum var. pusillum. This attractive wildflower lives only a few spots in the entire state. Reminiscent of a tiny Great White Trillium, it is the smallest of the Trillium species native to North Carolina. Growing to a height of 6 to 8 inches with flowers about 2 inches or so wide, Carolina Least Trillium blankets the wet woods near Turkey Creek. Here is what I saw on my trip. The property is owned by the NC Nature Conservancy, and is protected.

April 5th, 2009
For the first time in my visits to Turkey Creek, I found an uncommon orchid in the state. Listera australis or Southern Twayblade was in bloom! Native to other states along the Eastern Coast, this tiny native finds a home in the wet, swampy woods in only a few counties in North Carolina.