Saturday, April 15th – Birds, Butterflies, and Blooms – Vesta Cedar Glade, Rutherford County
Come join Richard Connors and Mike Smith for a naturalist experience in one of the most unique ecosystems in Tennessee – the cedar glade! Cedar glades are characterized by shallow, rocky soils which limits the growth of most woody plants, and the resulting plant community contains mainly cedar trees interspersed with open rocky glades that support many species of rare wildflowers, a few of which are found nowhere else on earth. Consequently, many interesting birds and butterflies call this ecosystem home, from breeding Prairie Warblers and Common Nighthawks to butterflies such as Southern Dogface and Juniper Hairstreak. We will explore all facets of this ecosystem on our outing. In order to give the butterflies a chance to warm up a bit, we’ll meet at 9:00am: from I-840 in Rutherford Co, take Exit 67 and turn east (toward the Love’s Truck Stop) and travel 1.6 miles along Vesta Rd. Turn left onto Moccasin Ln and travel 1 mile to the entrance (small parking lot on the left). Navigating to “Vesta Cedar Glade” using Google Maps will take you right there. For additional information, please email ms722@bellsouth.net.