Courtesy of DiscoverSouthCarolina.com
A rare wildflower is in bloom, but you will have to act fast if you want to experience it in nature in person. This endangered perennial plant will only bloom for a few more weeks.
The Oconee Bell, first discovered in the Southern Appalachians by a French botanist in 1788, has an exceptionally limited habitat. Colonies can be found in North Carolina and Georgia, but 90% of their total population can be found in northern South Carolina, along the steep banks of the streams that feed Lake Jocassee.
It is a delicate bell-shaped flower with white petals, dark green leaves and a red stem. Unfortunately, it only blooms from mid-March to early April.
“Oconee Bell is a harbinger of spring,” said Dan Whitten, board member of the non-profit organization Friends of Jocassee. Greenville Journal. “It is blooming when the forest still feels like winter, before the leaves come out.”
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The best place to catch a glimpse of this elusive flower is on the mile-long Oconee Bells Nature Trail at Devils Fork State Park in Oconee County, South Carolina. The trail follows a stream that is flanked by Oconee Bell wildflowers.
Remember that the high flowering season for these beautiful plants will end in the next week or two, so make your travel plans now!