Deadly:
My trip began by driving from Tennessee to
western South Carolina. Along the way I passed by the Pink Beds, a site in the mountains of North Carolina. I had read
rumours that this area housed Sarracenia purpurea so I was curious to see what I might find.
I had visited once before, and on that trip I had
failed spectacularly to find anything of interest. On this return trip, I hiked the entire
loop very carefully, and while it was a very pretty ramble, no Sarracenia purpurea
were spotted. I do not intend to return for a third search.
However, hiking through the woods on this rainy, foggy day, I was pleased to find some beautiful fungi such as this extremely
toxic Amanita bisporigera, which glowed like a ghostly lantern in the duff.
After this several-hour digression, I continued south to my hotel for the night. Early next morning I drove to an intersection
near Caesar's Head, South Carolina where I had arranged to meet up with Jim Fowler, naturalist and photographer
extraordinaire.
