SCAN Fieldtrip Schedule - 2011

February 26 – Santee Coastal Reserve WMA/Washo Reserve Sanctuary (Charleston County) – On SCAN’s last visit to Santee Coastal Reserve we saw the state rare eastern fox squirrel, Baldwin's nut-rush and lace-lip ladies'- tresses. Look for grass-pink orchid, blackroot, red milkweed, tall pine-barren milkwort, marsh-pink, New Jersey-tea, sun-bonnets and southern wild rice. A refuge for eagles, red-cockaded woodpeckers, nesting osprey, turkeys, warblers and overwintering birds. Also anhinga, marsh hawk, green heron, alligator, pig frog, bronze frog and various tree-frogs inhabit the area. Washo Reserve Sanctuary has a 200-year-old cypress lake and an adjacent cypress-gum swamp. The Sanctuary harbors the oldest wading bird rookery in continuous use in North America.

March 26 – Cartwheel Bay Heritage Preserve (Horry County) - On previous visits SCAN saw the state rare Venus-flytrap, eastern fox squirrel, Bachman's sparrow, Swainson's warbler, loggerhead shrike, big pyxie-moss, sweet pitcher plant and savanna honeycomb-head here. Herbs seen include fly-poison, black snakeroot, rose pogonia, rosebud orchid, grass-pink, wild indigos, Samson snakeroot, milkworts, eryngos, milkweeds, butterwort, bladderworts, sun- bonnets, deer-tongue, blackroot and Barbara's-buttons. Woody plants observed include dwarf wax-myrtle, witch-alder, sheep-kill, zenobia, dwarf azalea, coastal honeybells, creeping blueberry. Good for invertebrates including citrine forktail, violet-masked glider, eastern pondhawk, Halloween pennant, American lady, red admiral, viceroy, Palamedes swallowtail and much more.

April 23 & 24 – Foxbrier Farms (Laurens County) - Foxbrier Farm is an approximately 1,000 acre working family farm located just off of I-385 in the rolling piedmont hills. Through the establishment of a conservation easement agreement in coordination with the Upper Savannah Land Trust, roughly one third of this land has been designated as a wildlife refuge. Notably, all of the land is designated as a wildlife sanctuary. Boasting more than 15 miles of trails (hiking and equestrian); one will find large stands of old hardwoods, numerous long hedgerows, eight ponds (the largest of which is 9 acres) and a newly developed shallow waterfowl habitat. Other aquatic features include Horsetail Creek, Mills Creek, Ratlin' Flint Branch, and two unnamed streams which flow through Foxbrier into Little River. In fact, a series of springs on the west side of the property comprise the very headwaters of Little River. For those who are interested, the owners have made the onsite accomodations available for SCAN to stay overnight.

May 14 – President’s Special (to be announced)

May 28 – South Tibwin Plantation (Charleston County) - Has classic coastal habitats including longleaf pine flatwoods, bottomland hardwoods, impoundments, freshwater marsh and brackish marsh. SCAN saw the federally listed wood stork, as well as the state rare swallowtail kite, black-throated green warbler, glossy ibis and little blue heron here. SCAN also saw alligator, pelican, anhinga, yellow-crowned night-heron, tricolored heron, bufflehead, clapper rail, dowitcher, snipe, 5 woodpecker species, marsh wren, orange-crowned warbler and river otter here. Flora seen included both giant duckweeds, running oak, coral-bean, rose mallow, creeping blueberrry, coral honeysuckle, deer’s-tongue, black-root, 5 aster and 3 goldenrod species and more. There is a 6-mile hiking/biking trail, mostly old roads.

June 25 – Pacolet River Heritage Preserve (Spartanburg County) - This site has a diversity of Piedmont forest types on the sloping hillsides near the river. A trail leads to the Pacolet River eventually. SCAN saw the state rare agrimony here. Look for starry campion, pale Indian-plantain, maple-leaf viburnum, silky dogwood, Carolina laurel,

July 23 – Borough House Plantation (Sumter County) - The Borough House Plantation is approximately 5,000 acres of mixed forest and wetlands which should have a good variety of flora and fauna, especially considering that it is located on the fall line and very near Sparkleberry Swamp.

August 27 – Woods Ferry Recreational Area (Chester County) - Site consists of floodplain surrounded by upland pine woods and maturing hardwood forests. Also has some north-facing slopes, which always prove interesting. The recreation area is on the Broad River. SCAN saw Indian cucumber-root, Solomon's-seal, rattlesnake-plantain, black walnut, meadow-rue, spicebush, mock-orange, honeylocust, bladdernut, New Jersey-tea, sugar maple, angelica, silky dogwood, silverbell, bigleaf snowbell, four-leaf milkweed and more. Very good for insects! Birds seen include prairie warbler, summer tanager, phoebe, red-headed woodpecker and green heron. Herps include marbled salamander, brown water snake and king snake.

September 10 - President’s Special (to be announced)

September 24 – Aiken Gopher Tortoise Heritage Preserve (Aiken County) - Longleaf pine/wiregrass with a small swampy area adjacent to a small stream are the dominant habitats There are three rare plant communities here. Created to protect the northernmost population in the U.S. of the gopher tortoise. A favorite food of the tortoise, the state rare gopher-apple, is also here, which SCAN saw on previous trips. SCAN also saw the state rare Georgia beargrass here, as well as dog-tongue, jointweed, sandwort, wild indigo, summer-farewell, goat’s-rue, blazing-star, ironweed and more. There are numerous trails on the Preserve.

October 22 – Lee State Natural Area (Lee County) - This park contains hardwood floodplain forest and also extensive sandhill habitats. The park is on the Lynches River, a state-designated scenic waterway. There is also a millpond as well as artesian springs. SCAN saw the federally-endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and the state rare flaxleaf gerardia and Swainson's warbler here. There is a boardwalk trail.

November 19 – Lynches River County Park (Florence County) - Here, the beautiful blackwater Lynches River provides extensive floodplain, swamp, and bluffs to explore. Also, turkey oak/long-leaf pine xeric ridge habitat abounds. Great diversity of flora was seen previously by SCAN including royal fern, jointweed, button-rosy, 9 species of oak, swamp and parsley-leaved hawthorns, swamp dogwood, mayberry, fringe-tree, coral honeysuckle, small-leaf, arrowwood and possumhaw viburnums, and much more. Interesting invertebrates were found including thread-legged bug, trash-bug, cross-toothed rove beetle, sulphur butterflies, geometer moth and more. There are several nice trails down to the floodplain and river and through the more xeric forest.

December 10 – Bear Island WMA (Colleton County) - Former plantation lands, so it has old rice fields among the tidal brackish and salt marsh and old fields among the maritime forest and other woodlands. The state rare little blue heron, glossy ibis, eastern fox squirrel and loggerhead shrike have been found here by SCAN. All 3 of S.C.'s cordgrass species were seen. The diversity of habitats here attracts a variety of birds, with waterfowl and migrating songbirds heading the list. Bitterns, night heron, tricolored heron, snowy egret, shoveler, canvasback, moorhen and rails were all seen. River otters and marsh rabbits were seen as well.

January 28, 2012 - Annual Meeting