Latta Prairie – a special place

In my old neighborhood, I had just started to explore my local park for its natural history offerings – particularly the plants and birds. I had been familiar with that park for a long time but more from a recreational stance. When I came to NC, I had to not only learn new species of things but new places. I remember the first day I set out to Latta Prairie and Preserve with a backpack full of field guilds, notebooks and plant keys and thinking how well I had started to get to know my old park and now I was having to start all over.

During the past seven years, I actually cannot think of a place that has ever given me more pleasure and outdoor adventure than Latta Preserve. The prairie is a particular place dear to my heart. Many of my fondest memories here take me back to Latta: Birding with Audubon and my friend Penny, my first official collecting* duties for the herbarium where I now work, the Fairy houses left behind from the Fairy Festival, outings with Central Carolina Master Naturalists, a walking group that stayed together for 3 1/2 years until the Pandemic hit. Not to mention all the time my husband and I spent hiking there during the pandemic, Yes, it is a special place.

I do not live as close to Latta as I used to, but I still visit when I want to do something special. Here are a few photos from my last walk around the prairie about two weeks ago. I wanted to show one overview, a few special points, and what the flora looked like in natural settings. Many of these plants are things people have in their yards or grow in sidewalk cracks. But in their natural setting, they are much more splendid.

Now the images below are some landmarks. The big old dead tree. I can’t believe that is still standing, but it is. And right next to it is a path that leads to a well. Wells scare me, but there is metal grating on top of this one for safety. The few times I peeked in, there was usually a snake of some sort sunning himself along the sides by the top of the well.

*Please note – collecting wild plants, especially from nature preserves, is not allowed. When I talk about collecting, it is with permission because of my employment in an herbarium.