South Carolina’s Lowcountry
Nature wildlife and the great outdoors are a big part of the South Carolina lowcountry. We believe in the preservation of marshes wetlands, and forests not just in Beaufort but also in other outlying lowcountry communities. All of that surrounds are community consists of unspoiled irreplaceable, forests, farmland, wildlife habitats, and miles of beautiful waterways that meander through almost never-ending marshes.
Photograph taken by Marvin Bouknight taken in various locations throughout the lowcountry.
Local Nature Conservation
South Carolina’s Lowcountry is home to a tremendous diversity of plants and animals and this is due to the many different varieties of habitats found along the coast. Maritime forests, bottomland hardwood forests, wetlands, salt and brackish marshes, dry and sandy dunes, open fields, pastures, and grasslands, and many others. It is because of this [...]
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All around the Lowcountry, especially in the summer, trees, bushes, and shrubs are filled with little green and brown lizards scampering around. Although mistakenly called chameleons, it’s actually closer to being an iguana than a chameleon. The Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis), is a small lizard, ranging from 2 inches up to about 6 inches, including [...]
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Let me just say that I think all animals are beautiful. I’m not trying to get on my soapbox to start preaching, but I think there are many degrees of beauty and I think we get caught up in the cute and cuddly, but don’t share any love for some other critters that may appear [...]
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“With the nights getting cooler, our tree frogs are getting active and one frog in particular stands out. The gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor) is a small, cryptically colored tree frog that hangs out high in the trees and is rarely seen by casual observers. This master of camouflage expresses its joy for cooler nights [...]
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In the winter, the Lowcountry of South Carolina has a tremendous diversity of birds that migrate through and reside in this area. Due to the variety of wetlands and other habitats, this area attracts songbirds, waterfowl, raptors, and many other birds. One of the most fascinating to me is the Northern Harrier or Marsh Hawk [...]
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Here, in the Lowcountry, we are “fortunate” to have two of the largest web-building spiders in the United States. The black and yellow argiope (Argiope aurantia), or writing spider as it is sometimes called, is a large, black and yellow spider that builds an orb-shaped web with a zigzag of heavy silk in the center, [...]
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As a budding young naturalist, I was always out in the backyard, up in the woods, and out in the garden, looking for critters. I can remember vividly discovering my first box turtle, on the edge of a wet area in the swamp behind my house. I remember being astonished at the shell coloration, the [...]
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One of the most common snakes that can be seen in the Lowcountry is the Black Racer (Coluber constrictor). It is a large snake, but thin, and can grow to almost 5 feet in length, making it a formidable looking snake, but harmless. It is, as its name implies, black in color, with some of [...]
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Lots of times throughout the day, we see egrets, herons, and other wading birds in and around the vast wetland habitats in and around the Lowcountry. With long legs, thin, S-shaped necks, and stiletto-style bills, these waders can be see stalking the shores of ponds, lagoons, creeks, and other wetlands, searching for small fish, frogs, [...]
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The Nemours Wildlife Foundation was established by the late Eugene duPont , III and his family in 1995. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public, non-profit foundation administered by a dedicated, enthusiastic board of directors. Nemours Wildlife Foundation aspires to be a leader in the scientific study and stewardship of our natural resources. Nemours Wildlife Foundation [...]
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