Rudy Mancke Collection

Rudy Mancke, who passed away on Nov. 7 at the age of 78, became a beloved figure in South Carolina and beyond through his groundbreaking work as the host of the nationally distributed television show NatureScene and SC Public Radio’s NatureNotes. NatureScene, co-created with Beryl Dakers premiered in 1978 and continued for an impressive 25 years, gaining national recognition for its simple and innovative approach to exploring the natural world.

Within this Collection

Animals

Collections

Forest

Collections

Plants

Collections

Title:
Sumter National Forest (S.C.) Stop 3 3
Sumter National Forest (S.C.) Stop 3
Episode 3

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Rudy and Jim move to the Long Cane Division of Sumter National Forest. Here, Umbrella magnolia is starting to bloom. Christmas fern and Jack-In-The-Pulpit, Faded trillium, Wild germanium, Baneberry...
Sumter National Forest (S.C.) Stop 6 6
Sumter National Forest (S.C.) Stop 6
Episode 6

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Here close to a stream, there is a high population of Mountain laurel trees, rhododendrons, Tuliptrees, Fraser magnolias, Halberdleaf violets, Rattlesnake plantains, Heartleaf, Poor Robin’s plantain...
Sumter National Forest (S.C.) Stop 1 1
Sumter National Forest (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 1

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

On this episode of NatureScene, Rudy and Jim visit Sumter National Forest. This area offers a wide variety of habitats, and springtime is the best time to visit these rolling hills. Here at the flood...
Sumter National Forest (S.C.) Stop 2 2
Sumter National Forest (S.C.) Stop 2
Episode 2

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This area features a wide variety of trees, such as beeches and maples. Lots of wild flowers popping up in this area as well, like Dwarf iris, and Rue anemone. Buckeye shrubs and Sweet shrubs can also...
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 5 7
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 5
Episode 7

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This area is known as a “dry wetland” Here, Button bush, and Red maple trees thrive here. Under a nearby wooden board, Rudy and Jim find a Mole salamander, and a Ring-Neck snake. And in a nearby tree...
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 6 8
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 6
Episode 8

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Rudy and Jim stop by another wetland, filled with Sphagnum moss, Swamp Tupelo trees, Sweet Bay trees, and Virginia Chain fern. All these plants thrive in areas such as this one, with increased...
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 4 6
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 4
Episode 6

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A boardwalk takes Rudy and Jim from the hardwood area of the previous stop into a swamp forest. Here, Bald Cypress trees and Tupelo trees dominate. Lizard Tail, commonly found in this area, gets its...
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 1 3
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 3

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Underneath the pine trees, another community of plants resides in the area: Yellow-ray flowers, Purple Vein milkweed, and Catbells.
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 1 2
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 2

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The pine forest is home to two species of woodpecker birds: the Red Cockaded woodpecker, and the Ladder-Backed woodpecker.
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 3 5
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 3
Episode 5

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Ecology Laboratory Research Site: This area is a mixed hardwood forest, with Spanish moss dangling from the branches. Water oaks are the most prominent trees here. Other common plants in the area are...
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 1 1
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 1

Video

Grades: 2 3 4 5 6

In this episode of NatureScene, Rudy and Jim visit the Savannah River Site, located along the southwestern border of South Carolina. The area is 200,000 acres of protected land. When one thinks of the...
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 2 4
Savannah River Site (S.C.) Stop 2
Episode 4

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This bluff is one of 30 areas set aside from the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology laboratory. This area is vastly different from the tall pine community Rudy and Jim visited previously...
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 2 3
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 2
Episode 3

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

While walking along the road, Rudy and Jim see some of the damage left behind by Hurricane Hugo, and come across an Eastern Mud Turtle. Red Maple trees and Sweetgum trees, and Hawthorns have started...
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 3 4
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 3
Episode 4

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Marsh – Here, Rudy and Jim come across a marsh area, and discuss some of the plant and animal life which live in this habitat: Cattail plants, a Great Egret bird, Lily pads, Coot, Northern...
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 1 2
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 2

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Still at Lake Marion, Rudy and Jim observe the diverse species of birds in the area: Yellow Thwarted Warbler, Northern Parula, Eastern Bluebird, Yellow Rumped Warbler, American Robins, and an Osprey...
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 7 8
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 7
Episode 8

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

At this last stop, Rudy and Jim come across Loblolly pines, along with more alligators, and a Springflyer dragonfly. On the other side of the trail is a hardwood forest, and this habitat includes...
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 1 1
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 1

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this episode of NatureScene, Rudy and Jim visit Santee National Wildlife Refuge, located in the upper coastal plain, near Santee, South Carolina. During the springtime, warmer temperatures bring...
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 5 6
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 5
Episode 6

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Cuddo Unit is a great place for birders, and people who just want to enjoy the nature in the area. Pond cypress trees with Spanish Moss dominate the area, along with Ash trees and willows. On the...
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 4 5
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (S.C.) Stop 4
Episode 5

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Dingle Pond is one of the thousands of “mysterious Carolina bays” found throughout the Carolinas. The pond is home to many species of ducks, and a woodpecker can be heard out in the distance. Little...
Sandy Point (S.C.) Stop 1 1
Sandy Point (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 1

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this episode of NatureScene, Rudy and Jim comb the beaches of Sandy Point, just northeast of Charleston, S.C. Sandy Point is part of the Cape Romaine National Wildlife Refuge. The most common shell...
Sandy Point (S.C.) Stop 2 3
Sandy Point (S.C.) Stop 2
Episode 3

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Florida horse conch is the largest gastropod one would find around the beaches of Sandy Point. The Atlantic murex is a gastropod which features blunt, but large spines on its shell. The Atlantic...
Sandy Point (S.C.) Stop 1 2
Sandy Point (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 2

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Mixed in with the sea shells found on the beach, Rudy and Jim come across part of a Loggerhead sea turtle’s shell, a Skate egg case, known as a “Devil’s Purse,” a Vase sea sponge, a Hard-shelled clam...
Sandy Point (S.C.) Stop 2 5
Sandy Point (S.C.) Stop 2
Episode 5

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This area close by, once an oyster bed, has been covered in sand and is now a beach. A shrimping boat is seen out in the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. The area has around 280 registered species of...