National Great Outdoors Month is celebrated in June and serves as a reminder to enjoy and appreciate our state parks and wildlife refuges. This observation, begun in 1998, encourages us to explore our parks and enjoy the beauty that awaits us in our natural world.
Video
Before making their way to the next stop, Rudy and Jim come across an Eastern Mud turtle resting under a bush.
Video
At the next stop, Rudy and Jim analyze more of the plants found in the area: Hackberry trees, and Switch Cane dominate the area. A healthy Poison Ivy can be seen completely encasing a dead oak tree.
Video
Rudy and Jim find a young Bald Cypress tree, and a Papaw tree, which flowers in the early springtime.
Video
The Edge - Here, where the high ground meets the flood plain, we see more plant diversity. Large Cinnamon Ferns, Dog Hobble, Loblolly Pine trees, and American Beech trees frequent the area. With a...
Video
As Rudy and Jim make their way closer to the Flood Plain, we see more tall canopy trees: Red Maple trees, and Sweet Gum trees. Several flowering plants grow in the area as well: Elderberry, Winged...
Video
At this last stop at Congaree Swamp, Rudy and Jim find another Sweetgum tree, which grows very well in this wet, muddy environment. A record size Willow Oak tree, toppled over by the wind, knocked...
Video
Oxbow Lake – A Laurel Oak tree has found a way to support itself in the muddy, wet soil. Water Tupelo trees, Bald Cypress trees, and Loblolly Pines dominate the areas closer to the swamp.
Video
Cedar Creek – As Rudy and Jim explore Cedar Creek, they spot a large Brown Water snake.
Video
Closer to the water, Rudy and Jim find more Cypress-Tupelo trees, and come across two Clubtail dragonflies in the process of mating.
Video
Congaree Swamp is abundant with insect life. Rudy and Jim come across a newly emerged dragonfly, and a Zebra Swallowtail butterfly is seen feeding on a White Clover flower. A Clubtail dragonfly is...
