Lowcountry outdoors: 2021 Spring Island

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

2021 Spring Island - Plants and Insects

Gator Enjoying a Fountain

My visit to Spring Island on Oct. 11 came during warm weather, with very little sense of Fall in the air. However, the spectacular scenic drive to Spring Island included enough cool morning air to roll down the windows and soak in the sounds and sights of saltwater vistas. There is a private gate leading to Spring Island, and it is shared with the adjacent private community at Callawassie Island. A kayak launch at a park is one of the first stops on the causeway, before the dense maritime forest opens up as a lush golf course parallels the road, where I saw wood storks and roseate spoonbills loafing on the course.

Native Pitcher Plant

A field trip to look for plants and insects is best during warm weather, so my uniform of snake boots and long pants and long-sleeve shirt was the correct attire. We saw a green snake, a praying mantid, and multiple butterflies. Our next order of business was picking wildflowers and using a guidebook to identify them. Lots of bird life was all around including a black and white warbler and brown-headed nuthatch.

When we drove by a saltwater impoundment there was a gang of little blue herons fishing along the edge, with a great blue heron resting in the tree. Red-headed woodpeckers were present and residing in dead trees at the waterline, that have succumbed to saltwater intrusion.