Yellow Daisy Festival

Yellow Daisy Festival

Second weekend in SeptemberThe Yellow Daisy Festival is a tribute to a rare flower, the yellow daisy, or Viguiera porteri, that blooms on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, Ga. The flowers, two and one-half feet tall, grow in granite crevices, sprouting in April and not blooming until September, when they give the mountain a golden blanket. They wilt if they are picked and seem to thrive only in the crevices. They were first discovered in 1846 by Pennsylvania missionary Thomas Porter, who sent a specimen to noted botanist Asa Gray for identification. Gray decided it was the Viguiera genus, comprising about 60 other species that grow largely in Central America and Mexico. The only other place in the United States the yellow daisy has been identified is California, but there the plant is larger and woodier.
The festival, held since 1969 at Georgia's Stone Mountain Park, offers tours to view the daisy and much more: one of the South's largest arts and crafts shows, live music, and children's activities.
CONTACTS:
Stone Mountain Park
P.O. Box 778
Stone Mountain, GA 30086
800-317-2006 or 770-498-5690
www.stonemountainpark.com
SOURCES:
GdUSFest-1984, p. 40