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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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...
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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...
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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...
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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.
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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In the same stop, Rudy and Jim find a species of reptile called the Green Anole lizard, and they describe the differences between a salamander and a lizard. Illustrating more of the forest’s diversity...
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When pieces of trees fall to the ground, nature has a way to recycle that debris. A species of mushroom known as the False Turkey Tail helps break down the rotting wood, adding nutrients to soil in...
