Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

Although many Carolina Bays are temporary ponds that hold water only part of the year, these wetlands host a variety of wildlife, providing valuable habitat for such animals as frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes and alligators. Many birds, such as herons, egrets and migratory waterfowl, live in Carolina bays. Also mammals, such as deer, raccoons, skunks and opossums get food and water from Carolina bays. In addition, microscopic organisms called zooplankton live in Carolina bays. Salamanders and frogs are among the most abundant wildlife found in Carolina bays. As amphibians, these animals spend part of their lives in the water; as adults, they depend on Carolina bays as breeding sites where they lay their eggs.

Average water depth and soil type have a large influence on the types of plants found in and around Carolina bays. Many bays contain trees such as black gum, sweet gum, magnolia, bald cypress and maple, and shrubs such as sumac, button bush, gallberry and red bay. Also common in Carolina bays are water lilies, sedges and various grasses. Cartwheel Bay also offers several varieties of rare and beautiful carnivorous plants.

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Wild Indigo | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Baptista tinctoria • Smooth, bushy perennial 90 cm (3 feet) tall • Numerous elongated terminal clusters of yellow pea-like flowers • Flowers 1.3 cm (0.5 inches) long • Leaves palmately compound •...

Venus Flytrap | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Dionaea muscipula Unique to the two Carolinas Endangered Carnivorous plant 10 - 30 cm (4 - 12 inches) tall with white flowers cluster atop leafless stalk Stalk rises above rosette of bristly, folded...

Trumpet Pitcher Plant | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Sarracenia flava Carnivorous plant 60 - 90 cm (2 - 3 feet) with nodding, brown-red flowers Clusters of erect, hollow, pitcher-like leaves Leaves colored at top with red-purple veins on white...

Toothache Grass | Carthweel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Ctenium aromaticum • Tufted perennial • Does well in pine savannahs • Base contains old fibrous leaf bases • Fresh herbage and inflorescence, when bruised or crushed • Very aromatic like citrus •...

Sweet Pitcher Plant | Carthweel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Sarracenia rubra • Carnivorous plant • Slender, erect trumpet • 10 - 50 cm (4 - 20 inches) tall • Foliage green-veined with red • Very fragrant flowers like English Violets • Habitats include sandy...

Sundew | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Drosera rotundifolia • Insectivorous herb • White flowers in elongated, one-sided cluster • Flowers on leafless stalk rise above rosette of small, reddish, sticky basal leaves • Radially symmetrical...

Purple Pitcher Plant | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

Sarracenia purpurea Carnivorous herb 50 cm tall Also called Hunter's Horn Large, solitary red-purple-green flower appears atop long stalk in mid to late spring Trumpet-shaped hollow leaves with...

Orange Milkwort | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Polygala lutea • Compact, head-like clusters of brilliant orange flowers 6 mm (0.25 inches) long • Leafy, simple or branched stems • 5 sepals with 2 larger lateral ones forming petal-like "wings" •...

Meadow Beauty | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Rhexia virginica • Height 30 - 60 cm (1 - 2 feet) • Pink flowers in broad, terminal clusters on sturdy 4-sided, slightly winged stem • Flowers 2.5 - 3.8 cm (1 - 1.5 inches) wide • 4 petals with...

Fleabane | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Erigeron annus • White composite flower • Tufted white weed • Member Sunflower Family • Name originated in belief that dried flowers could rid fleas • Erect stem covered with spreading hairs bearing...

Hooded Pitcher Plant | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Sarracenia minor Likes boggy areas Carnivorous, mostly insects Translucent spots on back of hood Hood is a modified leaf Hood flops down Gives off sweet smells Digestive fluid at the bottom of tubular...

Butterwort | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Pinguicula lutea Bladderwort Family (Lentibulariaceae) Carnivorous herb 12.5 - 45 cm (5 - 18 inches) tall Solitary, yellow flower at end of leafless, glandular stalk Stalk rises from basal rosette of...

Sweet Bay | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Magnolia virginiana • Evergreen tree • Dark, glossy oval leaves with blue-gray on undersides • Fragrant white flowers 2 - 3 inches in diameter • Maximum height of 60 feet • Trunk diameter up to 20...

Running Oak | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Quercus pumila • Grows in clusters running along the ground • More bush than tree

Pond Pine | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Pinus serotina Also known as Swamp Pine Similar to Pitch Pine, but more southern Height to 80 feet Flexible needles Trunk sprouts often present Nearly-round, 2 - 3 inch cones Crown branches tend to be...

Longleaf Pine | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Pinus palustris Beautiful starlight southern tree valued for turpentine and timber Height 60 - 70 feet Likes sandy areas Very long dark green needles grouped in 3's 8 - 18 inch needles clustered...

Black Jack Oak | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Quercus marilandica Low to medium-sized tree Height 40 - 50 feet 4 - 8 inch thick, leathery and shallow-lobed leaves Brown leaves scaly or hairy underneath Twigs angled, hairy Dark trunk broken into...

Sheep Laurel | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Kalmia angustifolia • Evergreen shrub • Leaves to 2.5 inches long • Height 3 feet • Rosy red to crimson flowers in loose clusters • Foliage poisonous if eaten in large amounts by livestock •...

Pepper Bush | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Clethra alnifolia • Member White Alder Family • Tall, many-branched, leafy shrub • Height 90 - 300 cm (3 - 10 feet) • Upright clusters of white fragrant flowers • Sharply toothed, wedge-shaped leaves...

Dwarf Azalea | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Rhododendron atlanticum • Coastal Plain deciduous shrub • Grows 90 - 120 cm (3 - 4 feet) tall in dense colonies • Spreads by underground runners • Leaves wedge-shaped to elliptic • Twigs bristly and...

Eastern Cottonmouth Moccasin | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus • Very poisonous, large semi-aquatic relative of the copperhead and rattlesnake • Olive, brown, or black above; belly lighter color • Crossbands with dark borders •...

Copperhead | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Agkistrodon contortrix • Moderately large, stout-bodied poisonous snake • Chestnut brown hourglass-shaped crossbands with light centers on body pattern • Green-yellow tail tips in juveniles • Pit...

Sphagnum | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Sphagnum cymbifolium • Economically important species • Pale green-gray color • Poorly developed vascular system • Lacks true roots, stems or leaves • Often used with other plants in hanging baskets...

Saddlebags Dragonfly | Cartwheel Bay (S.C.)

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

• Tramea carolina • Large, dark markings at base of wings, when flying, look like saddlebags bouncing off Pony Express rider • Red to red-brown body with olive-brown thorax • Clear fore wings • Hind...