The Cove Forest

Cove forests are unique ecosystems found exclusively in North America, in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States. They are a special type of forest known as mixed deciduous, meaning that forest's trees lose their leaves in fall. Cove forests are restricted to mountain "coves," which are bowl-shaped valleys with very rich, fertile, damp soil. Many cove forests have streams wandering through part of the forest. The cove forests of the South exhibit the greatest plant and tree diversity of any forests in the United States.

The cove forests of South Carolina are restricted to the northwest portion of the state, extending from the north of Westminster to north of Greenville, Jones Gap State Park, Table Rock State Park, Oconee State Park, and Caesars Head State Park all contain cove forest communities. For more information, view the credits or find out how to plan a trip to a cove forest.

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Flowering Dogwood in Bloom | The Cove Forest
Flowering Dogwood in Bloom | The Cove Forest
Episode 4

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Flowering dogwood is an ecologically important understory tree in eastern forests. Today, large numbers of flowering dogwoods are dying due to an introduced parasitic fungus that causes dogwood...
Japanese Stilt Grass | The Cove Forest
Japanese Stilt Grass | The Cove Forest
Episode 3

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Seeds of this plant were apparently introduced from Asia into Tennessee in the early 1900s via packing material. The plant escaped and has now spread into forests throughout the eastern United States...
European Wild Boar | The Cove Forest
European Wild Boar | The Cove Forest
Episode 2

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Wild boar eat, trample, uproot, and kill large numbers of plants. They also compete with native animals for acorns, nuts and berries. Because the availability of fruits can vary dramatically from year...
Dying Hemlock | The Cove Forest
Dying Hemlock | The Cove Forest
Episode 1

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA) is an aphid-sized insect that feeds on sap of the Canada hemlock, a widespread tree of eastern North American forests. The HWA causes Canada hemlock trees to drop their...
Persistent Trillium | The Cove Forest
Persistent Trillium | The Cove Forest

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A number of rare species occur in cove forests, including the endangered persistent trillium, Trillium persistens. The species is found in deeply incised coves and gorges (acidic coves) in South...
Dense Leafy Plant | The Cove Forest
Dense Leafy Plant | The Cove Forest
Episode 4

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Leaves often show signs of some damage by herbivores, but only rarely are most or all of the leaves on a given plant eaten. As a result, green leafy plant tissues is abundant in cove forests during...
Close-Up of Oak Leaves | The Cove Forest
Close-Up of Oak Leaves | The Cove Forest
Episode 2

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The most effective defense against herbivores are chemicals. Leaves, stems and roots often various chemicals that deter herbivores. For example, oaks have bitter-tasting chemicals called tannins that...
Close-Up of Wood Nettle Stem | The Cove Forest
Close-Up of Wood Nettle Stem | The Cove Forest
Episode 1

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Grades: 9 10 11 12

Hairs, spines and thorns occur on leaves and/or stems of certain plants. These mechanical defenses may provide some protection from larger herbivores, such as deer, as well as small insects, such as...
Close-Up of Seed with Food Body Attached | The Cove Forest
Close-Up of Seed with Food Body Attached | The Cove Forest
Episode 5

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Herbaceous plants of cove forests, such as violets, trilliums and bloodroots (as well as many others), have ant-dispersed seeds. Such seeds have a small lipid-rich food body attached to the seed. Ants...
Squirrel with Acorns | The Cove Forest
Squirrel with Acorns | The Cove Forest
Episode 4

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In late summer and fall, squirrels collect and bury large numbers of newly ripened acorns. Many of these acorns are later recovered and eaten. Others, however, go undiscovered and can germinate and...
White Baneberry or Doll's Eyes Fruit | The Cove Forest
White Baneberry or Doll's Eyes Fruit | The Cove Forest
Episode 2

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Fruits eaten by animals are not necessarily edible for humans. Since fruits of some plants are poisonous (for humans), you should never eat fruits of wild plants unless you are absolutely certain they...
Leafy Stem with Abundant Acorns | The Cove Forest
Leafy Stem with Abundant Acorns | The Cove Forest
Episode 3

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The fruits produced by oaks (acorns) are an extremely important food source for mammals, such as squirrels, deer and black bear. Because acorns are rich in carbohydrates and proteins, populations of...
Fruit-Consuming Birds | The Cove Forest
Fruit-Consuming Birds | The Cove Forest
Episode 1

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Animals that feed on fruit are frugivores. The most common frugivores are birds. Birds readily remove large numbers of ripe fruits from plants, and intact seeds generally pass through a bird's...
Trillium Flower | The Cove Forest
Trillium Flower | The Cove Forest

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

On warm spring days, flowers are often actively visited by pollinators. However, in late winter and early spring, when many herbaceous plants are in flower, it is often too cold for pollinators to fly...
Wind-Pollinated Flower | The Cove Forest
Wind-Pollinated Flower | The Cove Forest

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Trees, such as oaks and hickories, and herbaceous plants such as grasses and sedges have small inconspicuous flowers that lack nectar, odor and bright colors. Because these plants are wind-pollinated...
Maple Fruit Showing "Wings" | The Cove Forest
Maple Fruit Showing "Wings" | The Cove Forest

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A good way to begin unravelling the riddles of nature is to ask "Why?" questions. Why are mosquitoes generally most active in the early morning and evening hours? Why do maples have winged fruits, as...
Ringneck Snake | The Cove Forest
Ringneck Snake | The Cove Forest

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

(Diadophis punctatus) The ringneck is very secretive and highly nocturnal. They are found under logs and rocks in moist areas. Earthworms and small salamanders are their chief prey.
Northern Water Snake | The Cove Forest
Northern Water Snake | The Cove Forest

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

(Nerodia sipedon) This aquatic snake is usually found in slow moving bodies of water. This snake is often found basking on logs in the water or on rocks close to the body of water. Fish and amphibians...
Copperhead | The Cove Forest
Copperhead | The Cove Forest

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Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

(Agkistrodon contortrix) The copperhead is the primary poisonous snake in the cove forest. The pit located on each side of the head between the eye and the nasal opening is a heat sensor. The prey...
Eastern Garter Snake | The Cove Forest
Eastern Garter Snake | The Cove Forest

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

(Thamnophis sirtalis) This snake has a wide geographic range and is the only snake that extends its range into the northern reaches of Canada. Frogs and salamanders are the primary prey of the garter...
Red Bat | The Cove Forest
Red Bat | The Cove Forest

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

(Lasiurus borealis) This bat is one of the most beautiful bats in the US. Red bats roost in trees and shrubs during the day. Moths are one of their preferred prey items.