COLORS OF AUTUMN

Whiteside Moutain in Stonefly

Every year, mother nature puts on a spectacular show in Stonefly and the area surrounding Cashiers, North Carolina. This is attributed to mild autumn days coupled with cool, crisp, but not freezing evenings. During September, October and November, the once green leaves of spring and summer alter their appearance and Whiteside Mountain becomes a crazy quilt of brilliant yellow, glowing orange, fiery red, and rich brown.

 As autumn approaches, the amount of available sunlight decreases. This signals the tree that winter is approaching and that it is time to begin the process of shedding its leaves. As a result, the production of chlorophyll ceases and breaks down. Because of this, the green color of the leaf disappears allowing the other pigments to show off their hues.

 Each species of tree and shrub has its own unique hues and the amount of color can vary from year to year depending upon the temperature, rainfall, and wind in any season.  But it always promises to be something, once seen, is never forgotten and is a special bonus for those who call Stonefly home.

Wild Turkey seen in Stonefly

Eastern wild turkey can often be seen in Stonefly and other areas in the Cashiers Highlands Plateau.  The adult male, called a gobbler or tom, may measure up to 4 feet tall at maturity

and weigh more than 20 pounds. Its long tail feathers, are tipped with chestnut brown and tail tips with dark buff or chocolate brown. In contrast, the breast feathers are tipped in black. Other body feathers are characterized by rich, metallic, copper\bronze iridescence. The males have a dewlap, or fleshy growth hanging under the chin. Growths, called caruncles, are located on the side and front of the neck, and a fleshy projection, called a snood, rises above the bill.  A beard, like bristles on a broom, hangs down from the chest.  Males also have spurs .24” to 1.25” long on the lower legs.

 A mature female, called a hen, may be nearly as tall but is usually lighter, weighing between 8 and 12 pounds. Females are similar in color to the males but more brown, and the metallic reflections are not as brilliant. The head of the female is covered with smaller, dark feathers extending up from the back of the neck. Females usually lack the caruncles , beards and spurs of the males. Turkeys forage in flocks searching for acorns, beechnuts, cherries, and ash seeds while the young poults eat mainly insects. 

Wild Turkey seen in Stonefly

 The basic social organization of these flocks is determined by a pecking order with the most dominate bird at the top and the least on the bottom. They have home ranges, not territories, and they fight for dominance, recognizing individuals within the pecking order, while sharing overlapping home ranges.

 Hens become secretive while searching for a site to nest prior to laying eggs. Nests are shallow depressions formed mostly by scratching rather than by planned construction.  It usually consists of an arrangement of twigs and leaves in sites chosen for their dense underbrush that allows the hen a view of the surrounding area and gives some protection from predators.  Laying a clutch of 10 - 12 eggs takes about 2 weeks. A hen will incubate for 26—28 days by sitting quietly and moving about once an hour to turn the eggs. Actual hatching begins with pipping—the poult rotating within the shell, chipping a complete break around the large end of the egg. Hens respond to the pipping sounds by making soft clucks at random, a form of communication which begins to imprint the poults to the hen. This vocal communication between hen and poults still in the eggs is an important part of the hatching process and is critical to survival of the young.  This imprinting, which continues for another 24 hours after the poult hatches, happens only at this time and cannot be reversed.  Damp poults clumsily free themselves from the egg but are fully dry and coordinated so they can follow the hen away from the nest within 12 to 24 hours after hatching.

 By age 14 weeks, male and female poults are distinguishable by body size and plumage. They have formed separate pecking orders although still dominated by the hen until all males have finally left the brood group to form their own social units. By fall, the pecking order of the sibling groups has been established and the young flocks are ready to enter the social organization of the surrounding population. The body growth of juveniles ends by the beginning of winter when the flocks, separated by age and sex class, settle into winter range.

 If you visit Stonefly please drive slowly and watch for the wild turkey.

All About Cashiers, North Carolina

Village Green, Cashiers, North Carolina

Cashiers, NC is centered around the busy intersection of Highways 64 and 107, know to the locals as “Cashiers Crossroads”.  All up and down the roads leading to the crossroads are bustling antique shops, clothing stores, mountain interior design shops, crafts stores and eateries.

As you drive along the winding roads leading to Cashiers there are many places to stop and take in the breathtaking views of the surroundings.  Yellow Mountain is the highest peak in the area at 5,127 feet and boasts a spectacular 360 degree view of the Cashiers Highlands Plateau.  Hiking trails abound throughout Yellow Mountain and other mountains in the area. 

Whiteside Mountain possesses the highest vertical drop east of the Mississippi and is a gorgeous and popular hiking destination.  Whiteside can be seen from many different points around Cashiers.  It is distinctive for the rock formation called “Devil’s Courthouse” near the top.

Whitewater Falls, the highest waterfall this side of the Rocky Mountains borders Jackson and Transylvania counties.  An easy walking trail leads to an overlook of the Falls.  There are many other waterfalls in the area too; Turtle Back, Rainbow, Silver Slip and Sliding Rock, to name just a few.  Maps with hiking trails to many of the local waterfalls can be purchased at the local hiking shop next to the crossroads or at one of the bookstores or gift shops.

Cashiers was the property of the Cherokee Nation until 1819, when a treaty was signed that made it the last section of the state open to settlers.  One of the biggest local mysteries is how Cashiers got named.  One version attributes the name to a horse named Cash that got loose in the valley.  Another gives credit to a bull named Cassius that belonged to Civil War Confederacy General Wade Hampton.  Maybe it was because the crossroads was a place where miners “cashed” out after a long work day.  No one knows for sure where the name originated.

General Wade Hampton

The area grew slowly and in 1850 there were few families living in the area because it was so remote.  Soon after the Civil War, however,  people from South Carolina began to flock to Cashiers to escape the summer heat.  Word spread and people from all over the southeast began investing in summer homes that transformed a sleepy little village into a favorite mountain retreat.

Today, people come to Cashiers for many reasons; amazingly beautiful scenery, interesting historic sites, eclectic shops and boutiques, boating, golf (there are 300 holes within 15 minutes of Stonefly), hiking, rafting, fishing and antiquing.  No wonder so many people are leaving the hustle and bustle of the cities behind them and finding their way to Cashiers to vacation or build their dream home in this secluded mountain wonderland.