Flint River
Kolomoki Mounds, Blakely, Georgia
Kolomoki Mounds is the largest and oldest protected Woodland Indian site in the southeastern United States.
Native plant, (yucca filamentosa)
(gopherus polyphemus)
The sandy soils here in the Southwest Georgia coastal plain are home to the endangered gopher tortoise. Several burrows, including this one, can be found within walking distance of the visitor's center.
When I was a little girl I remember going on a field trip to visit Kolomoki mounds. Looking back, I am so glad our teachers found this place important enough to visit, even though at the time the very disturbing theatrics performed scared the bejesus out of all of us. Inside the museum and visitors center one can see the actual remains of an excavated mound, and at that time actors performed some kind of bad rendition of a ritual dance full with feathers and stereotypical pow wow chants as if they got the entire skit from a black and white country western movie. I just remember having this utterly horrible feeling that THIS IS SO WRONG. It was a desecration of a sacred space that was being turned into a tourist attraction. I honestly don't know if they do this anymore, but if they do I just hope that someone with actual native blood is being paid for the performance.
(Solenopsis invicta)
also known as the Red Imported Fire Ant, making one of their colonies on this young Long Leaf Pine tree. Be careful of these ants if you hike here, because they attack quickly when disturbed and inflict a painful sting that will burn and itch for days.
Providence Canyon
Providence Canyon is a little off the beaten path and a short drive away from both Kolomoki Mounds historical site and White Oak Pastures,( you could actually visit all three of these places in one day). White Oak Pastures provides excellent meals and lodging if you decide to lengthen your explorations.
http://gastateparks.org/ProvidenceCanyon
Located about 150 miles southwest of Atlanta in the Coastal Plain eco-region of Gerogia, Providence Canyon was formed over 150 years ago from agricultural erosion. Forests were cleared on a massive scale for cotton fields and timber, and with no vegetation to protect it the remaining topsoil was washed away by rains, creating the deeply eroded gullies and canyons that are still slowly eroding today. I found a geologic guide by Lisa Joyce, which noted to a story that the canyon was started by water leaking from the roof of a barn that used to sit on top of it. While this may not be true, you gotta love a southern folk tale. We are full of them.
Because the canyon is created by loose sediments, rapid changes can occur suddenly and visitors are warned to be extra careful in wet or rainy conditions.
The exposed clay formations of the canyon gives us a look back in time, and through geological analysis one can even see where the ocean once flowed over the area, lowered, and flowed again. Some of the major sediments present are iron-ore, mica, and kaolin clay.
We visited Providence Canyon on a sunny Thanksgiving Day, 2015. It was a typical South Georgia day in November, just chilly enough for a light jacket and hardly no wind at all.
The slightly running stream of water and minerals at the bottom of the canyon is full of iridescent particles that are hard to see from the photographs alone.
Kaolin clay mining production near Providence Canyon in Bluffton, Georgia. Photo take 11/24/2016
http://gastateparks.org/ProvidenceCanyon
Located about 150 miles southwest of Atlanta in the Coastal Plain eco-region of Gerogia, Providence Canyon was formed over 150 years ago from agricultural erosion. Forests were cleared on a massive scale for cotton fields and timber, and with no vegetation to protect it the remaining topsoil was washed away by rains, creating the deeply eroded gullies and canyons that are still slowly eroding today. I found a geologic guide by Lisa Joyce, which noted to a story that the canyon was started by water leaking from the roof of a barn that used to sit on top of it. While this may not be true, you gotta love a southern folk tale. We are full of them.
Because the canyon is created by loose sediments, rapid changes can occur suddenly and visitors are warned to be extra careful in wet or rainy conditions.
The exposed clay formations of the canyon gives us a look back in time, and through geological analysis one can even see where the ocean once flowed over the area, lowered, and flowed again. Some of the major sediments present are iron-ore, mica, and kaolin clay.
We visited Providence Canyon on a sunny Thanksgiving Day, 2015. It was a typical South Georgia day in November, just chilly enough for a light jacket and hardly no wind at all.
The slightly running stream of water and minerals at the bottom of the canyon is full of iridescent particles that are hard to see from the photographs alone.
Kaolin clay mining production near Providence Canyon in Bluffton, Georgia. Photo take 11/24/2016
