This fish was roughly 15 cm. One notable feature of this genus is the minuscule barbel at the corners of the mouth, which is all but invisible. This specimen (along with the Moxostoma) was caught at Chicopee Woods, site #9, in Walnut Creek, by shocking the creek. The creek itself was of low health, with large areas of deposition and heavy erosion.

Found in the Chattahoochee National Forest (Mark Trail Wilderness). Characteristics typical of this tree include short needles. These trees, in this region, often keep streams cool, since the thin needles, collectively, block sunlight and help regulate the water temperature, establishing ideal conditions for aquatic habitats. Hemlocks, especially here, are often the victims of the hemlock wooly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), who eat the sap of the tree. 5-10 years after infestation, they often kill the tree.

This feather was found on the Raven Cliffs Trail in North Georgia. At first glance, it seemed most likely to be from either an owl or a hawk of some sort. From tip to bottom of shaft, it was 16-18 cm, 11-12 cm from the tip to the beginning of the abre shaft, with a shaft end of 4-5 cm. It was alternating white/brown stripes; The rainis was off center, with 2 cm and 1 cm at the sides. There was about 1 cm of fluff at the bottom of the feather, near the bare shaft. There were 7 brown stripes and 8 white strips. From scouring through scans of bird feathers from the possible species, I decided to pick Accipitridae, due to the high number of specimens sharing many feather-traits with the feather found, in terms of size, shape and coloration. A closer identification could be made, if the entire bird had been observed, since each species has it's own set of telling characteristics.

This is a red dogwood, observed next to the access road, near the wetlands, in the Tumbling Creek Woods on the GSC campus. On it, I noticed several spittle bugs and a caterpillar. It seemed to be a very popular specimen.

Continuing off of the South-Trail, we stumbled across some tulip poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera), loosely related to magnolias (Order: Magnoliales). It is a hardwood tree with generally straight trunks. Historically, they were a commonc source for lumber, especially for ship masts. They thrive in moist environments. They have incredibly distinctive leaves, which are shaped like tulip flowers.

We saw a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) near the entrance to the South Trail. It has red twigs and stems, with whitish undersides and with red leaves in the fall. Like all other maples, the leaves are pairs on a single twig. It competes parallel with American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)and Water Oak (Quercus nigra). It is native to the area and spreads remarkably fast. It also has some fire-resistant properties and can survive in a number of environments. It thrives under canopy.

This Virginia Creeper was found at the edge of the forest, near the South Trail entrance on the GSC campus in Oakwood. It was distributed rather thickly, next to an equally dense bunch of poison ivy. The proximity allowed for a perfect opportunity to distinguish the two plants which are often confused.