Marsh Grass
It’s a golden refuge for life of all kinds By Tess Malone The brilliant hue of Spartina alterniflora in fall gives the Golden Isles their name‚ while the grass grows emerald in spring and summer. All year long‚ it sustains an abundant ecosystem. Marsh grass…
Resurrection Fern
The shape-shifter accents Jekyll’s stately oaks By Candice Dyer The resurrection fern is a living metaphor for a kind of miracle. During dry periods, it will desiccate, shrivel, and turn brown. But just give it some rain and within twenty-four hours it becomes a lush…
Ladies’ Tresses
A close study of the coiling beauty By Bill Warhop Tread softly through the tall grass to discover the swirling white sprays of Spiranthes vernalis. You might spot Jekyll’s native orchid growing alongside ponds or in ditches where thesoil is damp. There are twenty-seven species…
Live Oak
If these boughs could talk, they’d tell centuries of stories By Bill Warhop The languid coastal plain of Jekyll Island teems with Southern live oaks, Quercus virginiana, dripping with fuzzy tendrils of Spanish moss. Georgia’s state tree is a symbol of strength and a bulwark…
Passionflower
It’s as sweet as it is striking By Muriel Vega The purple passionflower is whimsical, durable, and even edible. You might spy its kaleidoscopic blossoms on marsh-facing beach trails on the island’s western side—though local animals are quick to gobble them up. It’s hardy in…
Spanish Moss
The enchanting garland gets its close-up By Jennifer Senator Cloaking centuries-old live oaks across Jekyll and along the Georgia coast, the silvery specimen Tillandsia usneoides is not entirely what it seems. It’s actually not a moss. As a flowering plant, Spanish moss is a bromeliad—and…