Viola
I'm not proficient at keying out violets, but we saw many species on this trip. Here's one--a very nice little
plant.
Our next site, again in South Carolina, was quite close to the previous one. However, it was a very different kind of site.
You see, near the northwestern border of South Carolina you encounter an escarpment. This geological term
indicates a change in elevation between two abutting areas, usually expressed as a big line of cliffs. The Carolina escarpment
is beautiful because the exposed rock is often flat at the top, and then curves ever steeper until it is essentially
vertical. The exposed rock face consists of a huge unbroken sheet--any bits that break free slide down the cliff into the
forest below. I was fortunate to see it from the air when I arrived and left by commercial airlines, and from that
viewpoint it is truly
spectacular.
