Belle Grove Plantation

July 2010
Greetings All,
Last month we had to make a last minute change in our destination and our alternate site turned out to be a great location. We did not have to travel far from Columbia to reach our destination, which is between Columbia and Congaree National Park. We were visiting Belle Grove Plantation, which is an 807 acre private hunt club. The Plantation is bounded to the north, west, and much of the southern border, by Mill Creek, so it is essentially a peninsula surrounded by a really nice swamp. Much of the Plantation consists of planted crops that serve to enhance habitat for hunting purposes. The various fields are separated by forested areas consisting of hardwoods and some planted pine.
We spent the day exploring the bluffs above Mill Creek, the edges of the braided stream system of Mill Creek that forms a really nice swamp, and a natural open water area of the swamp referred to as a lake. One of the interesting observations of the day was a colony of bees that had constructed their comb on the underside of a small tree branch about four feet above the ground. I have encountered many bee hives in hollow trees, but have never seen one out in the open with no protection from the elements such as this one. We also walked around a manmade pond where many species of dragonflies were busy flitting around and several of us watched and interesting small bee excavating a hole in the dirt road. We compiled a nice flora and fauna list for the day and had ten species on the list that are first time listings for SCAN. I encourage you to take a look at the impressive list and if you were along for the trip and saw something that is not on the list, please let Jan know so she can update the list. We would like to provide the owners with a comprehensive list in return for their generosity in sharing the Plantation with us.
I would like to thank John Cely for making the arrangements for us to visit the Plantation and would also like to extend a special thanks to Henry Asbill, one of the owners, and Guy Johnson for their assistance throughout the day.
Work has resumed on SCAN’s Book Three and there will be a meeting this weekend of the book committee members. Sometime back, members were asked to provide photographs for inclusion in the book and I would like to remind everyone to look through your photographs and get them to Jerry Bright. Jerry has volunteered to scan the photographs since most would have been taken prior to digital cameras.
We will be going to Opossum Creek in Oconee County this month. Hopefully this will give us all a break from the stifling heat we have been enduring here in the flatlands of South Carolina.
I hope to see you all soon!
Gordon

Opossum Creek Trail
Sumter National Forest, Oconee County
July 26, 2010 – 10:30 a.m.

Our next trip will be to the far northwest corner of the state on July 26. Because Brasstown Falls, the trip scheduled for that date, is nearly inaccessible (tricky logs crossing the river, steep cliffs) and the easy part of the area has been nearly denuded by overuse, we will go to the Opossum Creek Trail instead. The 1.5-mile well-graded, shady trail passes through a beautiful forest with tall oaks and pines and openings filled with short plants, along bluffs overlooking the gurgling creek below, and drops gently down to the Chatooga River. There you can see Georgia, and possibly rafters and kayakers on the river. Members with mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) ancestry can then clamber up a half-mile trail along Opossum Creek to a 50-foot waterfall.

Plan to carry the usual lunch, lots of water, and bug repellent. No facilities. Because rain in the mountains is frequent and unpredictable, check the weather forecast and bring raingear if remotely indicated.