From SCNPS: Open House at Parks Mill Spiderlily Preserve May 14th and 21st
We are excited about the upcoming open house event at the Parks Mill Spiderlily Preserve! Here is an article from SCNPS with the details:
We are planning to offer guided visits on Saturday, May 14, and May 21, through the Parks Mill Shoals Spiderlily Preserve during the peak bloom period. This spectacular native lily thrives in fast running water in shoaly areas of lower piedmont streams. The Preserve is near the town of Plum Branch, and consists of 15 acres of woodland, a large population of shoal’s spider lilies in Stevens Creek, and a reasonably intact turbine-powered grist mill. This site was protected through the joint efforts of the SC Native Plant Society, Naturaland Trust in Greenville, and the Upper Savannah Land Trust in Greenwood.
About the site:
The creek-bed is home to a large and prosperous population of rocky shoals spiderlily (Hymenocallis coronaria), a 2.5-foot-tall lily with large (4-inch diameter) white flowers that appear in profusion in early May thru mid-June every year, with peak bloom during the middle 2 weeks of May. The shoals spiderlily is the major reason for protecting the site. There is also an active aquatic animal community in the creek, including American gar and other fish species, with an accompanying predator community, including ospreys, herons, kingfishers, raccoons, and river otters.
The mill building and machinery are largely intact but non-functional. In working to restore the mill building, we have uncovered evidence that, in addition to a grain grinding facility, there was a sawmill and a cotton gin on the site. There is a dam and millpond on the neighboring property, with a millrace canal that conveyed water about 200 yards to a penstock and two turbines that generated the torque that operated the mill machinery. We are actively working (and fund-raising) to restore the mill building to a sustainable condition.
This site is protected, and access is available only by appointment, and with a responsible member of the Preserve Protection team present. We ask that you register in advance to visit the site during a morning or afternoon period on May 14 or May 21. We may have to assign you to a time slot to maintain safe social distancing, but we will try to accommodate your wishes. So, save the dates in your calendar!
Questions or concerns, e-mail Bill Stringer at catboyz@nctv.com.
