We have already had our first three Midlands Master Naturalist classes! This 12-week course is designed to teach identification skills, ecological concepts, and natural history of the plants, animals, and ecosystems encountered in the various locations in the midlands.
Week 1: Camp Discovery, Blythewood
This first class was held at Camp Discovery in Blythewood, SC, and led by Austin Jenkins. The class honed their observation skills and explored Camp Discovery trails. They will use these skills as they head out into the field to a new location each week!
Again led by Austin, the class got a chance to explore one of the state’s most unique heritage preserves, featuring a large granite outcropping that provides habitat to the endangered Pool Sprite and countless wildflowers such as Elf Orpine, Piedmont Sandwort, and Puck’s Orpine!
Week 3-Things With Wings: Intro to Birds – Macedonia Lutheran Church in Prosperity
This week’s adventure was led by SCWF’s Jay Keck, and the class explored a beautiful property while learning how to identify different species of birds by sight and by sound.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act! Join us as we highlight species throughout the year that have benefited from this landmark legislation.
Smooth Coneflowers are native wildflowers that provide many benefits to the ecosystem such as a source of nectar for pollinators like native bees and dried seed heads that provide food for birds in the winter. This once endangered plant was reclassified to threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in July of 2022, thanks to conservation efforts like regular population monitoring and research, the implementation of management techniques on protected lands, and the reduction of threats to their populations. Not to be confused with the commercially available purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea. Not only is the stem smooth and hairless, but its flower petals are narrower and droop down further than its close relative.
Senator Hembree of Horry County has introduced a bill (S.581) which would designate the Venus Flytrap as South Carolina’s Official State Carnivorous Plant. SCWF spoke in support of this bill at a recent sub-committee meeting, where it passed unanimously out, and will next be considered by the full Senate Family & Veterans’ Services Committee. If approved by the Committee, it will be placed on the Senate calendar for a floor vote.
Here is a copy of remarks from Sara Green, Executive Director, at the sub-committee hearing:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and members of the subcommittee, for the opportunity to speak with you this morning. I am the Executive Director of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. We are the oldest conservation organization in the state, founded in 1931 by Harry Hampton and Zan Heyward.
Our mission is to conserve and restore habitat for wildlife through education and advocacy.
We hold classes and events throughout the state to teach people of all ages about our beautiful state’s natural resources, and how they are connected with the local ecosystem, as a way to inspire folks to take action to preserve our natural treasures
We have taken people to see and experience many of the special gems all across South Carolina, and this includes the Venus Flytraps in Horry County.
Like all plants, the Venus flytrap gets its energy from the sun through photosynthesis. However, it lives in very nutrient-poor soil, so it has adapted a method of luring insects with sweet nectar, and capturing and digesting insects and arachnids to get nutrients that are not available in the surrounding environment.
The “trap” is made of two hinged lobes at the end of each leaf. On the inner surfaces of the lobes are hair-like projections that cause the lobes to snap shut when prey comes in contact with them. The hinged traps are edged with small bristles that interlock when the trap shuts to ensure the prey can’t squirm out. There are other carnivorous plants in the wild, but the Venus flytrap is one of the very few that exhibits motion to actively trap its prey.
Once the trap closes, the digestive glands that line the inside of the leaf secrete fluids that dissolve the soft parts of the prey, kill bacteria and fungi, and break down the insect with enzymes to extract the essential nutrients. These nutrients are absorbed into the leaf, and five to 12 days following capture, the trap will reopen to release the leftover exoskeleton.
These plants were historically found as far south as Charleston, but many threats have limited its range to today’s small populations.
This species is often poached because there is a market for these plants for backyard gardens. There are specific guidelines online for how to buy plants which were farmed rather than ones that were illegally dug up from native populations.
New housing developments are a threat due to clearing of land and draining of the boggy habitats where this species thrives.
This is a highly fire-dependent species and it flourishes best when the landscape is burned every 2-3 years. Managing habitat for this one species with fire protects many other species of plants and animals including maintaining viable habitat for our game species like quail, turkey, and deer.
This designation will help promote education and awareness of this globally unique and rare species found in our state, and help to promote stewardship and conservation. Since our state symbols are part of an education standard taught in elementary schools across the state, this designation will also help develop curriculum in our schools for a species that is right here in our own state, and is sure to capture the attention of students!
I thank you for your consideration of this bill this morning. The South Carolina Wildlife Federation fully supports passage of this bill.
SCWF’s Sara Green speaks in support of the bill – photo by Trip King.
Alex Killman is a guest writer for SCWF sharing his experiences of
connecting with nature, enjoying the outdoors, and advocating for
conservation – all through hunting.
Tom Turkey by Teresa Kopec.
With the weather warming up, and pollen covering absolutely every single thing not contained within a sterile bubble, there’s only one thing going through the minds of every South Carolina turkey hunter – Spring gobbles. There’s nothing like looking out across a foggy field edge on a crisp morning as gobbles begin to ring out in the distance, signifying the start of the best seven weeks of the year. Ah yes, the season is upon us. At the time of this writing, we’re just a few weeks from the opener, so finalizing our opening day game plan is becoming more and more crucial as the days pass. The worst thing we could do is walk into the woods without a good plan. So, we’re going to look at a few tried-and-true tactics that can get you within 50 yards of one of America’s most beloved game birds.
Before we get into the details, however, it needs to be said that each and every one of the tactics below, with the possible exception of run ‘n gun hunting, should be used only after properly scouting the locations you’re hunting. Using any of the following tactics in a location where you haven’t scouted and found ample turkey sign (i.e. gobbling, scratching, scat, feathers, observed turkeys, strutting marks, etc.) is usually a waste of time. If you have no idea where turkeys are or how they use a given property, your time is better spent scouting than blindly setting up and hoping for the best. With that being said, let’s dive in with tactic number one.
Tactic 1: The Field Edge
Turkeys love open areas. They especially love agricultural fields. They can get out in the open where they can see for hundreds of yards, scratch around, and feed for hours. Come springtime, gobblers will get out in fields and strut for the ladies. This can happen at any point in the day and can go on for hours at a time. Though turkeys love to roost over water, they’ll often roost over a field edge, and fly right back down in the morning, giving you the opportunity to be set up and ready. For field edges, I like to have a jake decoy, a laydown hen decoy, and a feeder hen decoy about 20 yards in front of me for a shotgun, and 12-15 yards for a bow. That way, if the field is relatively large, that gives them a target to shoot for after flying down. They like to flock up, and with a jake decoy in the field, it gives gobblers a turkey to size up and get aggressive with. Longbeards will often put on quite the show, beating up on a jake decoy, giving you the opportunity you need to make the harvest.
Tactic 2: Right Off the Roost
Knowing where a turkey or flock is roosting is oftentimes the best-case scenario in turkey hunting. It gives you the option to set up before daylight within 50-100 yards of them, catching them right off the roost. This tactic takes a lot of stealth, and knowledge of where the birds are actually roosting. You can gain this knowledge one of two ways. You can either witness them flying up visually or audibly, meaning you were close enough to see them with your eyes or hear their wings flapping as they ascended just before dark, or you can “roost” them with a locator call just before sundown. A locator call, such as an owl hoot, can oftentimes cause a turkey to “shock gobble,” giving you their location without them being the wiser. If you use a turkey call to locate them, you can alter their behavior right then, or even the next morning. If they’re near their roost tree, or already in it, and you yelp with a turkey call, they may gobble, but they’ll stay put. But they’ll remember where you called from and may fly down and head in that direction the next morning. So, if you’ve set up under them, you may miss an opportunity based on your decision to roost him with a turkey call, instead of an owl hoot. Once you’ve located their roosting area, you’ll want to get in and completely set up an hour before the sun even thinks about coming up. Turkeys live in nature, so they’re used to hearing animals, such as deer and raccoons, walk beneath their trees in the dark. Because of this, you’re afforded a small amount of noise for sneaking in close. However, you don’t want to have them on edge close to flydown, so you want to be sitting still and quiet for the last hour before sunup. I like using decoys in this scenario as well because it gives them a location to feed to after flying down. It’s best not to use a blind in this scenario and opt for sitting against a tree wider than your shoulders. Setting up a blind around a roost would likely be too noisy, and the sight of it could cause them to fly down in the opposite direction. Staying concealed close to the roost and not calling to them in the tree is critical to success.
Tactic 3: The Ridge
When fields or open areas aren’t close by, another great setup location is a well-worn ridgetop. Ridges offer turkeys a desirable high point where their gobbles can ring out across the landscape. They’re also great for flying off in a hurry when danger appears. They’ll often fly down in the mornings, find their favorite ridgetop, and stay there gobbling, strutting, and feeding for hours. Ridges with a lot of turkey sign – noticeable scratching in the leaves, scat, etc. – are great locations to set up an ambush. For midday hunts where you’re setting up to call a turkey to a ridgetop, it’s helpful to set up 30-50 yards from where the ridge begins to drop off. By the time a gobbler tops the ridge, he’s in your sights before he has the time to realize there’s no hen. Proper scouting to determine well-used ridges, either for roosting or feeding, is a must for having success in hill country.
Tactic 4: Run N’ Gun
For those that just love the chase, or don’t have ample time to scout and locate birds, have the option of run ‘n gun hunting. This is my least favorite because so much of it is completely up to chance. Will there be turkeys nearby? Where will they be roosting? What’s their normal travel route? Where do they prefer to feed? Turkeys aren’t always very vocal, especially when the weather isn’t great. If you don’t know how turkeys use a given property, or even if the property holds turkeys, and they aren’t gobbling, you’re usually in for a long and frustrating day. However, when you show up and they’re gobbling their heads off, it can be some of the most exciting hunting you’ll ever be a part of. Because of the amount of walking necessary, decoys should usually be left in the truck. Locator calls are great for not tipping your hand, but if you’re not getting responses, yelping and cutting is great for striking up a distant gobble. When running and gunning, if you get a gobbler to respond, it’s best to try and cut the distance, then patiently listen. If they gobble again and they’ve gotten closer, it’s time to find a spot where you’re concealed to just sit and wait. Scratching in the leaves is a great way to keep from overcalling, while maintaining their lock on your position. They’ll often keep gobbling and coming to the sound, believing it to be the hen that they heard yelping. If you get a turkey to gobble and he doesn’t want to come any closer, he could be with a hen already. You may have to sneak to within 100-150 yards of him if you can do so without being seen. Then, some light purring and clucking, mixed with scratching in the leaves, could cause him to break your way. Run ‘n gun hunting is definitely less likely to end in success than a planned ambush built around scouting, but it can work, and makes for some of the best hunting stories when done successfully.
Build Your Plan
Whichever tactics you choose to use this season, go ahead and begin building your plan now. Walking into the woods with confidence and a good game plan is the first step in the process of bringing home a bird. Good luck and happy hunting.
We are grateful to the 25 volunteers who joined SCWF staff for this year’s litter sweep at Archer’s Lake in Irmo, SC on Saturday, March 4th. This project was a partnership between the Harbison Community Association, Palmetto Pride, and the South Carolina Aquarium.
This litter sweep was a huge success with over 5,000 items of litter removed from the lake and shorelines of this urban pond! Thank you for making it a cleaner and safer habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, and songbirds.
The litter that was removed was recorded on SCWF’s page on the SC Aquarium’s “Litter Free Digital Journal” program. Check out the links below to see the impact of this litter sweep:
SC Wildlife Federation is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2023 Forks, Knives & Spoonbills Art Contest. All entries depict the species which will be featured in this year’s Forks, Knives, & Spoonbills Conservation Dinner series, the Roseate Spoonbill, Prothonotary Warbler, American Kestrel, swallow-tail Kite, Painted Bunting, and the Northern Flicker. We are very grateful to all the artists who participated in the contest, and shared their artwork with us!
First place: Pam Corwin
Second place: Melissa Agostini
Third place: Mary McCarthy
The winner of the contest Pam Corwin is a fisheries and marine biologist with the SC Department of Natural Resources as well as an artist!
Pam said “I recently purchased an iPad to take my art to the next level and so it can travel with me. I had sketched the original drawing on traditional paper, took a photo, then added that as a layer. From there, I drew and colored it in. It took me awhile to figure out the composition but after I finally visualized it, I was pretty happy. I have a masters in biology with my thesis work focusing on avian ecology. So all these birds on the menu have left a mark on me. My favorite songbird is the loggerhead shrike but there’s nothing like seeing a painted bunting on your sunflowers or a swallowtail kite above your horses after a dragonfly hatch. Birds truly are magnificent.”
A Flighty Affair by Pam Corwin.
A Gathering at the Marsh by Melissa Agostini.
The third place entry by Mary McCarthy.
Please click through the gallery below to see the work of the other wonderful artists who participated in this contest!
The artists are listed L to R: Allison Couick Love, Caroline Staley, Millie Myers, Sara B. Bosworth, Wilma King, and Mary Elizabeth Kennedy Owen.
