Explore the Native Gardens at the CNC
Native Plant Scavenger Hunt
By Taylor Lamb, Horticulturist at CNC
July 26, 2020
There is no better time than now to get outside and stretch your legs and your brain! In the horticulture department at the CNC, we pride ourselves on our knowledge of native plant species, and we thought it would be fun to challenge visitors of all ages to a friendly scavenger hunt!
Georgia is renowned for its vastly differing landscapes. From the sandy, dry terrain of The Coastal Plains to the cool, moist climate of The Blue Ridge Mountains, plant species across Georgia have adapted over time to fill every niche.
This variety produces absolutely stunning and unique specimens that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. Each of our gardens across the CNC strives to emanate these unique habitats, and we would love it if you join us on this virtual tour throughout our property.
Plan your visit to CNC to explore the gardens and try to find as many species as you can! Some of the plants are not in top bloom so it will be even more of a challenge!
Cowboy Pants: Garden on your left as you exit the top of the Discovery Center
Rudbeckia maxima, Large Coneflower
Extremely tall flowers that can reach 8 feet in height! In the Fall these tall stalks need to be stabilized so they don’t fall in the way of the path.
Schizachyrium scoparium, Little Bluestem Grass
Little Blue-Stem is aptly named as its foliage has blue tints to it. This becomes more apparent as Autumn approaches.
Craft’s Memorial Garden: Garden on your right as you exit the top of the Discovery Center
Manfreda virginica, False Aloe
This aloe plant look-alike fools many! It has an aloe-like basal rosette and tall flowering stalks that can reach 5 feet.
Butterfly Garden: Garden above Butterfly Encounter
Asclepias sp., Milkweed
This garden is home to many different species of milkweed – the host plant of the monarch butterfly. Monarch’s require these tall slender plants to reproduce.
Longleaf Pine Gardens: Gardens across the Brady Pavillion
Pinus palustris, Long-leaf Pine
These pines differ from the typical Loblolly Pine that we find around Atlanta with their long leaves and their distinctive growing habits. Immature adults will have one major shoot will stay in this form until they reach adulthood. Then they will branch off to look like a more standard pine.
Barbara’s Button Garden: Garden just below the Great Horned Owl Exhibit
Marshallia caespitosa, Barbara’s Button
Eccentric, low-growing perennial that forms white fluff ball blooms in early Summer.
Georgia’s Living Wetland: Garden past the Brady Pavilion as you walk the unpaved paths near the exit to the boardwalk.
Sarracenia sp, Pitcher Plant
This carnivorous plant is a perfect example of a species that has adapted to fill niches where most organisms would have trouble surviving. Pitcher plants thrive in highly acidic, nutrient-poor environments. When they feel an insect inside of their opening, they shut their hood trapping insects inside digesting/dissolving the prey slowly over time. We have many species in this garden including Purple Pitcher Plant, Yellow Pitcher Plant, and more.
We hope that you have enjoyed a virtual tour of the gardens found at the CNC. There are many other plants to explore in the gardens and we hope that you will plan your visit and take the time to experience the native gardens and all that they have to offer.
Meridian Herald’s Confluence is the intersection of the environment and the arts. Produced by the Governor’s Award winning arts and humanities non-profit Meridian Herald and guided by a steering committee that includes 100 Miles, the Chattahoochee Nature Center, the Georgia Council for the Arts, the Georgia Humanities Council, the South Fork Conservancy, the Trust for Public Lands, and individual artists and community volunteers. Confluence will present a series of programs in 2020 and 2021 focused on art of all types—visual, musical and written—created by Georgia artists, amateur and professional, children and adults, who have been inspired by Georgia’s natural beauty and whose works inspire others to preserve and protect Georgia’s environment.
At the Chattahoochee Nature Center, our mission is to “Connect People to Nature”. All year long, we strive to help everyone, young and old, discover a love and curiosity for the natural world. This year, when many of us were stuck at home, the highlight of our day involved the outdoors. Our dogs were taken on lots of extra walks. Kids started riding their bikes again. Sprinklers were set up in the front yard and exploring woods and creeks became cool again. Nature was there for us to help us cope with a stressful time, by providing us a place to go for exercise, play, stress relief, and learning.
The Chattahoochee River starts as a small spring trickling out of an Appalachian Mountain hillside called Jack’s Knob, located about 10 miles north of Helen in Chattahoochee Gap. The tiny pool formed as water flows out of the ground is inhabited by tiny fish. The spring is also recorded as a reliable water source for hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Right from its modest start, the Chattahoochee River supports both natural and human lives. The water follows gravity down the mountain, across the state of Georgia, and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico about 550 miles south. Hundreds of tributaries make up the watershed that converges into the Chattahoochee River until it becomes large enough to support the needs of millions of people in 3 states. If you live in the vicinity of the Chattahoochee, there is a very good chance that the 60% of your body that is made of water, is in fact, Chattahoochee River water. The river is literally our life blood.
The transformation from the small trickle in the north Georgia mountains, to the beautiful river that flows past the Chattahoochee Nature Center, happens over many miles, growing in size from the many smaller tributaries along the way. The Chattahoochee Nature Center’s transformation from its own modest grassroots beginning back in 1976, to today’s 127-acre facility that touches the lives of more than 130,000 people each year, happened over many decades, thanks to thousands of members, sponsors, and volunteers, building a strong foundation. The river brings life-giving water to nourish our bodies and the Chattahoochee Nature Center provides unique natural experiences to enrich our minds. The Chattahoochee Nature Center Canoe Programs allow people to experience the natural world of the Chattahoochee River up close. In 2019 we had over 900 participants join us on the water through the CNC canoe programs! 
Pollinators of all kinds – including bees and butterflies – are relied upon heavily in the plant world to, well, pollinate. The relationship between pollinators and flowers is one that most people understand. Butterflies rely on nectar, the sweet liquid found hidden within flowers. As a butterfly lands and sips nectar it unintentionally picks up pollen. By doing that it does the flower a favor by moving its pollen around the garden and ensuring another generation of blooms. While a butterfly may visit a variety of flowers for nourishment, they look for specific plants – called “host plants” – on which to lay eggs. A caterpillar is choosy; it will not munch the leaves of just any plant.
One famous example is the milkweed species of plant. Monarch Butterflies, those bright orange and black butterflies, will only lay their eggs on milkweed, making it essential to their survival. However, if the milkweed is not present when the Monarchs make their annual migration to Mexico, they cannot breed. Likewise, the Tiger Swallowtail, Georgia’s state butterfly, looks for tulip poplar trees, on which to lay their eggs.
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