Highland County Arts Council

Exhibit of Photographs by Phil Lucas

Last Update: 13 November 2006

Phil and Charlotte Lucas retired to Highland County in 1999, where they live on a hilltop near the Bullpasture Gorge. Phil is past president of the Virginia Speleological Survey, an organization dedicated to the collection and dissemination of cave information. He held that position for 32 years, stepping down in October 2006 to focus on the caves in Bath County. He has been very fortunate to have discovered several large, new caves in this area since his retirement from Dominion Power. The photos on display were taken in some of these caves.

He has also served for many years on the Virginia Cave Board, a state agency whose directors are appointed by the governor, and has served as its chairman. He is a past-president of the Cave Conservancy of the Virginias and has been active in many caving organizations, including the National Speleological Society, where he has received several prestigious awards for his activities. He is a member of Bath County’s Butler Cave Conservation Society, which owns and manages many significant caves in the Burnsville area.

Several years ago he and his wife became very interested in wildflowers when a friend came to visit. This friend, Roger Baroody, was quite a wildflower expert and, through his guidance, they became keenly interested in wildflower identification and photography. All the photos on display were taken within the last two years. Many more wildflower photos can be found at lucasland.org. Contact the Lucases by e-mail for more information.



Phil and Charlotte Lucas with several of the wildflower photos in this exhibit.
Photo by John Sweet. All other photos on this page are from the photographer himself.

Yellow-fringed Orchid, Platanthera ciliaris.
The plant is 1 to 2 feet in height, found in grassy bogs and soil with a high peat content. The flowering period is July to August. This one was found on Tower Hill Mountain in Bath County.

Wild Bleeding Heart, Dicentra eximia.
Bleeding Heart blooms in the spring and continues through summer and into the fall. This delicate plant prefers rich woodland soil and is often found on ledges.



Chicory, Cichorium intybus.
Introduced from Europe because of its many uses, this plant has become ubiquitous throughout our region and can be seen along just about every roadside. When World War II disrupted shipping, most U.S. “coffee” was produced from chicory. Caffeine-free, it is regaining popularity.



Canada Lily, Lilium canadense.
These large, nodding flowers, yellow to orange, rarely red, are found in wet meadows and bogs. The plant is 2 to 5 feet in height and flowers from June to August.
This picture was taken along US 220 north of Monterey.



Multiflora Rose, Rosa multiflora.
Multiflora rose was introduced from Japan in 1866 as rootstock for ornamental roses. Beginning in the 1930s, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service promoted it for use in erosion control and as “living fences” to confine livestock. It has been estimated that an average multiflora rose plant may produce a million seeds per year, which may remain viable in the soil for up to twenty years. Germination of multiflora rose seeds is enhanced by passing through the digestive tract of birds. Most of us now consider this plant an insidious pest that is almost impossible to control — but its flower is beautiful. This photo could have been taken almost anywhere in Bath or Highland County.



Pasture Thistle, Cirsium pumilum.
Another common plant strongly considered a noxious pest in pastures — but, wow, what a bloom!



Thinking of Butterscotch
The minerals being deposited onto these cave formations contain a trace of iron,
hence the butterscotch color.



Walled Forest in Winter
These crystals that look like spruce trees are called dog-toothed spar.
They are growing in rimstone pools that are normally filled with water.



Cave Pearl Splash
Cave pearls are an uncommon cave formation. They are formed when a small particle, such as a grain of sand, is tumbled by dripping water saturated with minerals. They can be perfectly round or irregular, depending on the shape and size of the nucleus. Slowly the minerals coat the nucleus until it becomes too heavy to tumble. It then adheres to the floor of the pool and slowly becomes a rounded knob. Generally, only high-water events are sufficient to tumble the pearls.



Crystal Chandelier
This cave formation started as a soda straw but then morphed into
a bunch of tiny crystals all enclosed in a drop of water.


Lines of Perspective
Layers of chert (silica) rock are evident in this passage. Gypsum is coating the ledges and walls giving the cave a cool appearance.

Pillow Corner
Almost pure calcite deposits give a deceptive impression of something soft and yielding, not rock hard.