A Guide to Cedar Glades and Common Appalachian Wildflowers

Cedar glades are naturally occurring landscapes of the Central South. Geographically this includes northern Alabama and Georgia and parts of Kentucky. However, they reach their peak of development and boast the greatest number of endemic species in the Central Basin of Tennessee. Cedar glades are characterized by open areas of thin soils and gravelly limestone surrounded by forests of oak, hickory, winged elm, blue ash, and eastern redcedars. They have captured the attention of ecologists due to the harsh environment to which cedar glades have adapted.
In this unique field guide, readers will find themselves transported into the rare and harsh landscape of Tennessee’s cedar glades. Loaded with clear photographs and detailed descriptions of over 140 common plants and animals, this guide will help the casual observer discover the delicate beauty of these unique landscapes. In addition this volume includes upland wildflowers commonly found in the Appalachians and along the Cumberland Plateau. The guide also features informative essays covering the history of plants and cedar glade research, helpful diagrams detailing flowers and leaf morphology, and a documentary memoir that allows the reader to share a season in the author’s life as well as the wildflowers he found along the way.

Billy Plant III earned his master’s degree in biology from Middle Tennessee State University. He has been a naval officer, land surveyor, biological technician with the National Park Service, and utility forester. He is the author ofMother Earth and Other Pretty Girls.