Favorite Wildflower Walks in Georgia

Wildflower lovers across Georgia know Hugh and Carol Nourse through their popular slide lectures. Countless other enthusiasts have seen their glorious wildflower photographs in books and magazines. Here the Nourses draw on years of travel around the state to share their favorite places for seeing wildflowers. Of the many walks the Nourses have taken, these are the ones they return to most often because of the density or the unusual nature of the floral display. All twenty of these wildflower walks are on public land; everything you need to know about how to find them and what to do once you're there is included.

Five walks are presented from each of Georgia's four geographic regions: Cumberland Plateau/Ridge and Valley (northwestern Georgia); Blue Ridge (northeastern Georgia); Piedmont (Georgia foothills and fall line); and Coastal Plain (all of Georgia below the fall line). For each walk, a scenic photo gives a hint of the locale's overall character. In addition, five of the wildflowers encountered on the walk are profiled with a photograph and a detailed description. All of the wildflowers on these walks are native to Georgia. A few are rare and endangered. Common plant names are used in the main text; the index lists both common and scientific names.

Coverage of each walk includes directions and a trail map plus information about:

• flowering season
• peak flowering period
• flower habitats
• walk length and difficulty
• restroom availability
• applicable fees

Wildflower lovers across Georgia know Hugh and Carol Nourse through their popular slide lectures. Countless other enthusiasts have seen their glorious wildflower photographs in books and magazines. Here the Nourses draw on years of travel around the state to share their favorite places for seeing wildflowers. Of the many walks the Nourses have taken, these are the ones they return to most often because of the density or the unusual nature of the floral display. All twenty of these wildflower walks are on public land; everything you need to know about how to find them and what to do once you're there is included.

Five walks are presented from each of Georgia's four geographic regions: Cumberland Plateau/Ridge and Valley (northwestern Georgia); Blue Ridge (northeastern Georgia); Piedmont (Georgia foothills and fall line); and Coastal Plain (all of Georgia below the fall line). For each walk, a scenic photo gives a hint of the locale's overall character. In addition, five of the wildflowers encountered on the walk are profiled with a photograph and a detailed description. All of the wildflowers on these walks are native to Georgia. A few are rare and endangered. Common plant names are used in the main text; the index lists both common and scientific names.

Coverage of each walk includes directions and a trail map plus information about:

• flowering season
• peak flowering period
• flower habitats
• walk length and difficulty
• restroom availability
• applicable fees

Hugh Nourse and Carol Nourse are the authors of Wildflowers of Georgia, The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, and Favorite Wildflower Walks in Georgia (all Georgia). Both have been officers in the Georgia Botanical Society. They are also members of the Georgia Native Plant Society and volunteers in the Botanical Guardians Project for the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance. They have been honored by the State Botanical Garden of Georgia for their volunteer work as photographers, and they received a grant from the Natural Heritage Program of the Department of Natural Resources to photograph rare plants for the program's image collection.