Nestled on the southern reaches of Kentucky's Pine Mountain in Harlan County's Cumberland range, Blanton Forest is one of the USA's largest old-growth forests with a land area in excess of 2500 acres. It gained status as a State Nature Preserve in September 1995 and is maintained by the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission.

To say I have been where no man has been before, may not be such a preposterous claim. The forest opened to the public in October 2001 but I was lucky enough to be granted permission to walk the trails in September of this year, accompanied by my good friend Sherba Nelson who contacted Kyle Napier, the Pine Mountain Regional Nature Preserve Manager on my behalf. Not for the first time, I am indebted to Sherba and her love of the wilderness.

The photographs on this page are just a few of the plants and fungi seen on the trails in the late summer. The evidence of what had been there in previous seasons was sufficient to ensure a return in the Spring of 2002 when I hope to photograph what must surely be one of the most prolific plant areas in the Eastern USA.

For more details on Blanton Forest, there is a wonderful web site at www.blantonforest.org

The KSNPC's website is at www.kynaturepreserves.org