Oconee Bells – Oconee County, South Carolina

This photograph was taken at Devils Fork State Park on March 18, 2007 by Deborah Davis, who lives in Oconee County. She stopped at the park on her way to go hiking.

Deborah describes taking the photo: “The Bells are very hard to photograph as they are a member of the Galax family and grow low to the ground, the blooms are white, small and the heads are bowed. I am sure I must have looked quite amusing lying on the ground, legs stretched across the creek and bent over at the waist trying to get a good shot. It was exhausting but worth it. I am so proud to live in Oconee County and very thrilled to have the chance to see the Bells in the wild.”

Oconee Bells (Shortia galacifolia) are a species of wildflower native to the Appalachian mountains of South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina. They occur relatively rarely in the wild, as they require very specific habitats. They bloom for a very short time in early spring. Click here to learn more about Oconee Bells.