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.
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Rudy and Jim find a young Bald Cypress tree, and a Papaw tree, which flowers in the early springtime.
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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.
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Cedar Creek – As Rudy and Jim explore Cedar Creek, they spot a large Brown Water snake.
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Closer to the water, Rudy and Jim find more Cypress-Tupelo trees, and come across two Clubtail dragonflies in the process of mating.
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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...
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Rudy and Jim visit Congaree Swamp National Monument, a fifteen thousand acre nature preserve. This naturally protected swamp features a variety of tall hardwood trees. Buffer Zone - We see that the...
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At the same stop, vines and flowering plants can also be seen growing in this area. We see Yellow Jessamine, and Toadflax.
