National Great Outdoors Month

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.

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.

Forty Acre Rock (S.C.) Stop 6
Episode 9

Video

Large masses of granite such as this one, are sometimes called “Plutons,” named after the Roman god of the underworld. This is due the hot liquid granite coming up from the ground and cooling...
Forty Acre Rock (S.C.) Stop 4
Episode 7

Video

After the rock gets broken down into soil, the first species of plant life to grow in these areas are mainly Stonecrops, along with Rock Sandwort.
Appalachian Cove (S.C.) Stop 2
Episode 4

Video

Before the trees start to bloom, the flowers in the area explode with blossoms first. Here we see Lousewort and Pennywort flowers. While observing the flowers, Rudy and Jim come across a Black Chinned...
Appalachian Cove (S.C.) Stop 3
Episode 7

Video

Another characteristic of this forest which makes it unique is that it is has remained relatively unchanged for millions of years. The Mayapple flower is a common flower in the area, and features an...
Appalachian Cove (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 1

Video

Rudy and Jim visit Appalachian Cove, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina. Some of the flowering plants found here have cousins nowhere else in the world except China and Japan. At this first...
Appalachian Cove (S.C.) Stop 5
Episode 11

Video

In the same stop, Rudy and Jim talk about the plants growing on a nearby rock: moss, Walking Fern, and another Canada Violet. On a nearby tree, Rudy and Jim find a cocoon of a Large Silkworm Moth.
Appalachian Cove (S.C.) Stop 6
Episode 12

Video

The constant stream of mist coming from the waterfall at this next stop affects the variety of plants found here. The mountain, like the forest, is ancient, and the waterfall continues to wear away...
Appalachian Cove (S.C.) Stop 5
Episode 10

Video

At this next stop, Rudy and Jim find Canada Violets, White Trillium, Blue Cohosh, and a Green Frog can be seen close-by near the stream. Other plants which dominate the area are Yellow Buckeye trees...
Appalachian Cove (S.C.) Stop 2
Episode 6

Video

The increased amount of rain makes for a much more diversified forest when it comes to the tall trees in the area. Here we see the Tulip Tree, and the Understory Tree. Along the way Rudy and Jim come...
Appalachian Cove (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 2

Video

Some of the trees found in the area also have blossoms. The redbud is one example. On a nearby hickory tree, Rudy and Jim come across a woodpecker called a yellow bellied sap-sucker, which has come to...