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American Holly | Bulls Island Natural Area (S.C.)
More in this Series
NatureScene / Bulls Island Natural Area (S.C.)
Photo
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• Yellow bar on front edge of forewing • White spots on top of wing • Smaller than Painted Lady • Migrates south to north each spring and summer • Most die in cold northern temperatures • Can fly more...
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• Haliaeetus leucocephalus • National bird of the United States • 75 - 108 cm (30 - 43 inches) • Adult has white head and tail • Massive yellow bill • Juvenile has dusky head and tail with dark bill •...
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• Nycticorax nycticorax • Stocky bird with thick bill • Usually hunched and inactive • Black back and black cap with pale gray or white underparts • Gray wings • Red eyes • Yellow or yellow-green...
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• Himantopus mexicanus • 33 - 40 cm (13 - 16 inches) long • Black above, white below • Long neck • Very long red legs • Straight thin bill • Noisy and conspicuous • Aggressive during nesting season
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• Ardea herodias • Common large wading bird • 99 - 132 cm (39 - 52 inches) long with wingspan 1.8 m (70 inches) • Gray plumage • Yellow beak • Long legs • Flies with neck folded • Primary diet of fish...
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• Anas discors • Small brownish duck with pale blue shoulder patches • 35 - 40 cm (14 - 16 inches) long • Male has gray head and white crescent in front of eye • Female is mottled brown with pale blue...
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• Hedyotis procumbens • Member of coffee family • Also called Trailing Bluet or Innocence • Perennial herb with shallow roots • Low-growing loose tufts 10 - 15 cm tall • White flowers bloom from July...
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• Bombus pennsylvanicus • Face and head mostly black • Black behind the wings • Yellow abdominal segments • Wings smoky • Pollen basket on hind tibia • Adult drinks nectar and eats honey • Larva feeds...
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Sabal palmetto State tree of South Carolina and Florida Named for large leaf bud or "cabbage" at top of trunk Grows upward from a single terminal bud Mature height 30 - 50 feet Trunk up to 2 feet...
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Typha latifolia Common aquatic plant Named for foot long hot dog-shaped flower spike Upright smooth stiff stems grow to 10 feet Alternate, elongated strap-like leaves Thick underground branching...
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• Spartina alterniflora • Dominant vegetation in salt marsh • Salt-tolerant perennial • Tough 1-inch wide blades grow 1.5 inches long • Excretes excess salt through salt glands on leaves • Air tubes...
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Aralia spinosa Spiny shrub or small tree Twice or thrice-compound leaves Trunk and twigs stout Numerous coarse prickles White flowers One-seeded black fruits Habitat is coastal soils
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Rubus flagellaris • Member of Rose Family • Low growing Blackberry • Trailing woody stems with erect branches • Three-part, serrated leaves • Flower 2 cm wide(0.75 inches) • Flowers June to September...
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• Rubus flagellaris • Member of Rose Family • Low growing Blackberry • Trailing woody stems with erect branches • Three-part, serrated leaves • Flower 2 cm wide(0.75 inches) • Flowers June to...
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• Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus • Dark, heavy-bodied water snake • 50.8 - 189.2 cm (20 - 74.5 inches) long • Broad-based flat-topped head • Olive, brown or black above • No pattern or with dark...
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• Alypia octomaculata • Common black moth • Widely distributed species • Double wings • Two white or yellow spots on each wing • Wingspread about 1 inch • Larva feeds on grape leaves and Virginia...
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• Ardea herodias • Common large wading bird • 99 - 132 cm (39 - 52 inches) long with wingspan 1.8 m (70 inches) • Gray plumage • Yellow beak • Long legs • Flies with neck folded • Primary diet of fish...
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• Casmerodius albus • Large wading bird with all white plumage • Yellow bill and glossy black feet • Stalks prey or walks slowly in shallow water searching for prey • Monogamous • Nests in colonies in...
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• Mimus polyglottis • Robin sized 23 - 28 cm (9 - 11 inches) long • Slender, long-tailed gray bird • White patches on wings and tail • Often imitates other birds' calls • Song richest on warm, spring...
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• Pandion haliaetus • Known as Fish Hawk or Fish Eagle • Medium size bird with average length 53 - 61 cm and average wingspan 1.4 - 1.8 m • Brownish-black back; white breast with bluff or brown...
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• Phyciodes tharos • Tiny • Wing span is 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 inches • Found in open pastures, road edges, vacant lots, and other open spaces • Upper side is orange with black borders
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S apium sebiferum • Also known as Tallow Tree • Nonnative, of Chinese origin • Takes over marsh • Leaves pointed at both ends • Sap is milky and poisonous if rubbed in eyes or taken internally •...
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• Persea borbonia • Also known as Bull Bay • Evergreen with narrow head • Grows to 75 feet tall • Trunk 3 feet in diameter • Red bark • Bright red lumber used for making cabinets • Elliptic leathery...
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• Melanerpes carolinus • Robin-sized 25 cm (10 inches) long • Barred black and white above • Sexes similar in appearance • Red crown and nape in males • Female has red nape only • Common in South •...
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• Agelaius phoeniceus • Gregarious bird • Scarlet markings often concealed with only yellow margin visible • Immature male sooty brown and mottled with red shoulders • Brown female and juvenile...
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• Mellita quinquiesperforata • Flat version of sea urchin • Fused skeletal plate forms rigid exoskeleton (test) • Lives in shallow water, using sand as protection • Male and female cannot be...
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Magnolia grandiflora • Leathery leafed evergreen tree • Foliage shiny above and rusty-hairy below • Leaves rounded at base • Twigs and buds rusty-hairy • Height 60 - 80 feet • White and fragrant...
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• Odocoileus virginianus • Important game mammal, but illegal to hunt in wildlife refuge • Similar to Mule Deer, Elk, Caribou, Moose and Pronghorn • Large white tail • Capable of running 56 - 64 kmps...
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• Melegris gallopavo • Males 122 cm (48 inches); females 91 cm (36 inches) • Tail tipped with chestnut • Familiar "gobble" sound • Often roost over water • Polygamous • Swift runners • Habitats...
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• Gelsemium sempervirens • Sometimes called "Jasamer" in South Carolina • Other common names are Woodbine, Carolina, Evening Trumpet Flower • South Carolina's state flower • Woody climbing vine with...
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• Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata • Long, powerful constrictor 86.4 - 256.5 cm (34 - 101 inches) long • Skillful climber • Three different adult color patterns; plain, striped and blotched • Mates April...
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• Megathymus yuccae • Head narrower than thorax • Antennae not hooked at tip, but with large club • Hind tibiae with only one pair of spurs • Fast flying with wingspan of 40 mm or more • Holds wings...
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Bulls Island was one of the most heavily damaged areas in South Carolina by Hurricane Hugo. Rudy and Jim visit Bulls Island to observe how nature is healing itself after the deadly hurricane. Here at...
Video
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At the same stop, Rudy and Jim come across a Northern Mockingbird, and a Red-Wing Blackbird perched in some nearby trees, making their distinctive bird-calls. Feeding on some nearby Dewberry flowers...
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On the other side of the impoundment we see the effects of Hurricane Hugo. The area once dominated by canopy trees like tall pines, are no longer there.
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Sandy soils – At this stop, we see Southern Magnolia trees, which help keep the sandy ground stable. With this one magnolia tree, Rudy and Jim find holes left behind by beetles, and woodpeckers which...
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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.
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Hurricane Hugo damage revisited – Here we see further evidence of damage caused by Hurricane Hugo. The tall canopy trees like pines, oaks, and palmettos have been stripped bare. Nature is slowly...
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At the same stop, Rudy and Jim find more plants typical of barrier islands: Devil’s Walking Stick, Prickly Ash, and Buckthorn. In a shady area close by, Rudy and Jim find a resting Eastern Cottonmouth...
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Osprey birds and Bald Eagles can also be seen nesting in this wildlife refuge.
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The Dike – Vast fields of Cord Grass populate this area. The fresh water impoundments, with much lower levels of salinity, are perfect places for shore and sea birds such as Yellowleg birds, Black...
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Rudy and Jim catch a full sized adult alligator sneaking around the area, and also find a Four-Lined Rat snake, also known as a Live-Oak snake.
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Great Egret birds, whose nests were initially destroyed by Hurricane Hugo, have flocked back to the island to rebuild their homes.
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“Ghost Beach” - Rudy and Jim further assess the damage to the island by Hurricane Hugo. The pines and live oaks at the shore line are gone, but the Palmetto trees survived. The water is slowly eroding...