This week for Flora and Fauna Friday we have a pleasant, laid back late season wildflower: Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris).
Camphorweed is a bushy perennial wildflower partial to sandy open habitats and found throughout the southern United States. It loves to grow in fallow fields, abandoned lots, roadsides, and beach dunes. It’s even a plentiful component of our wildflower meadows at the Hutchinson House. Camphorweed grows well where many other plants struggle to survive, making it a welcome addition and burst of color on many an idle acre. The flowers of Camphorweed are about three quarters of an inch in size, yolk-yellow, and with an unremarkable aster-like appearance evenly spaced across the surface of the plant. As its appearance suggests, it is a popular plant among pollinators. Although its flowers are rather run of the mill, the foliage helps define this plant from its peers. The foliage of Camphorweed is a silvery, bluish-green. The leaves themselves are roughly triangular, covered in a fine coat of hair, and, lacking a petiole, cling directly to the stem. Overall the plant has a very coarse, scraggly appearance in my experience. Although, its growth form is quite variable. Most often on Edisto it can be seen as a short bush but it can also grow as a small forb or a tall, organized stalk. As the name suggests, the plant contains camphor oil. Camphor is the compound that gives Vicks VapoRub its signature scent. However, Camphorweed does not contain its namesake chemical in any substantial amount. So the scent is fairly faint.
This week for Flora and Fauna Friday it’s everyone’s favorite bivalve, our snotty Lowcountry delicacy: the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica).
Our Eastern Oyster of the Lowcountry is a translucent, salty morsel sandwiched between two razor sharp shells of calcium-carbonate, one freely flapping and the other glued permanently into an amalgamated cluster of other Oysters. Our Oyster is found only in saline waters and is a bivalve just like a mussel or clam. Oysters are notable for their behavior of spitting at low tide. It’s a behavior that’s purpose is not well known but whose tune is trademark to our creeks; a melodious nasty habit of a dirty habitat. They attach to structures as free-swimming larvae and grow larger year after year, layer by layer. Overtime, more oysters cling to the oldest oysters as the community develops into a cluster. The cluster sheds and blossoms as it expands into a reef and eventually a bed in a larger system of beds that blanket the banks. These beds are centuries old and litter the shores of our rivers and creeks throughout the Lowcountry.
The Eastern Oyster is not just delicious, it’s an ecosystem engineer. A species of such utmost importance that its mere existence brings wealth and health to the environment surrounding it. Oysters are sessile. They swim through the water as larvae before attaching to a structure and staying put. The favorite thing for an Oyster larva to stick to is another Oyster. This makes good sense. Oysters can’t move so if it sticks to another Oyster, it’s probably someplace where an Oyster can live well enough. This tendency to self-adhere creates an oyster reef, a piling up and accumulation of decades of Oyster shells along the bank of a tidal river or creek. Spires of bleached shells tile and summit over each other above a foundation of pluff mud. These oyster reefs are critical habitat to many of our estuarine species. Stone Crabs, Mummichog, Terrapin, and an untold variety of fry nestle into this limestone mountain at high tide; its jagged peaks and deep ravines warding off the predators that encircle their retreat.
Oyster reefs not only nurture life on their shoulders but shape the very terrain around them. Oysters are filter feeders, they inhale surf filled with silt and plankton, strain it through their bodies, and exhale clean water. This filtration acts to do two things of great benefit to us. It removes potentially harmful bacteria from the water column, that the Oyster then eats, and sequesters sediment onto the Oyster reef. Oysters eat plankton, which is a catchall term for little critters that float in the water and can’t get around too good. This includes harmful bacteria, like fecal coliform, that we pollute our waterways with. However, Oysters don’t eat sand, silt, or most detritus. So they spit that out, where it falls into and behind the oyster reef. This serves to clear the water and build up the bank of the creek beneath and behind the oyster reef. This effect is strengthened by another passive effect of oyster reefs, wave-breaking. Oysters reefs are large, broad, vertically chaotic structures made of mortar that functionally act as a breakwater. Boat wakes and windblown waves crash and shatter against the oysters, scattering the sediment they carry behind the shells. Over time the bank builds up behind the oyster reef enough that the Smooth Cordgrass can send down its roots to stabilize it. The Oysters and Cordgrass work in tandem to close that gap and solidify the stream-edge against erosion.
This is why restoration and proper management of our oyster beds is critical to the health of our tidal creeks. Oysters clean the water of harmful contaminants that close our fisheries and restrict swimming. Their reefs buffer the pluff mud against boat wakes and storms, protecting and bolstering the Cordgrass that protects us from storm surge. Oysters need other oysters to establish and thrive. If we degrade our oyster beds with unsustainable harvesting and boat traffic, then that supply will evaporate in short order.
This week for Flora and Fauna Friday is the slithering fear of fishermen, the Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorous).
The Cottonmouth, or Water Moccasin, is a modestly sized viper at up to three feet long and fairly bulky. Their scales have a corrugated, studded appearance that takes on a deep brown coloration in adults. In contrast, younger snakes show disorganized lighter bands of tan or greenish-brown that contrast their umber scales. Cottonmouths are an aquatic snake prolific in our freshwater rivers, streams, ponds, swamps, ditches, and marshes across the Lowcountry. They’ll also patrol soggy fields and wet meadows in search of a meal. Their favorite foods are fish and frogs but they’ll eat birds and rodents when given the chance. Unlike Copperheads, Cottonmouths will gladly make their presence known when they feel threatened. They’ll coil their bodies to face the trespasser, vibrate their tail, spit a sickening hiss, and throw open their jaws to flash a palate of ghostly white gums. The contrasting blink of white signals their discontent and is usually sufficient to let most mammals know to back off.
A Cottonmouth’s preference in most cases is to remain motionless to avoid detection. If that fails their next course of action is to escape to the nearest body of water. Cottonmouths are clumsy on land but masterful swimmers; if they can swim away they will. Confrontation is used as a last resort when cornered or startled. However, they are not ill equipped for a fight as their bite is venomous and more potent than their coppery cousin. If you encounter a venomous snake in the wild, the best course of action is to leave it well enough alone. The number one cause of envenomation is attempting to move or handle a viper. They’d rather not waste their venom on you to begin with, you’re too big to eat. So to alter an idiom, let coiled snakes lie.
As you may have heard, the Asian Long-horned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) was recently discovered for the first time in South Carolina. The species is a native to Southeast Asia. It first appeared in the United States in 1996 in Brooklyn, New York followed by Illinois in 1998, New Jersey in 2002, Massachusetts in 2008, and Ohio in 2011. In June of 2020 it was discovered in Hollywood, SC. Biologists suspect the infestation has been ongoing for five or more years. So far, more than 2,000 trees have been confirmed to be affected in Ravenel, Hollywood, Meggett, and Johns Island. The infestation appears to be centered on Rantowles and Stono Ferry, encompassing more than a 3-mile radius.
The Asian Long-horned Beetle is an invasive species of insect. Its larvae feed on the wood of native trees, leading to the structural collapse and eventual death of those trees. As a non-native exotic, the beetle has few natural controls and the trees lack sufficient defenses to fight the beetles. This can result in the beetles spreading unchecked through the ecosystem, destroying forests and altering habitats permanently. This potential for uncontrolled growth and ecological damage is what defines the species as an invasive and what makes its discovery so alarming.
The primary larval host plant for Asian Long-horned Beetles here in the Lowcountry is by far Red Maple (Acer rubrum). Red Maple is a native tree that is extremely common in our forested wetlands, bottomlands, and river floodplains. Red Maple is also used extensively in suburban landscaping. The beetle will feed on other tree species as well including Ash, Willow, Elm, Birch, Cottonwood, Sycamore, and possibly Tupelo. They are not known to infect Oaks or Conifers, including Pine. Biologists fear that the beetles will escape into the remote bottomland and floodplain forests surrounding Ravenel. Here they will be much more difficult to control and they may make the jump into infesting Tupelos. The uncontrolled destruction of the Maples and Tupelos of our bottomland forests would be devastating for one of the most critical ecosystems here in the coastal plain of South Carolina.
The adult beetles are metallic blue-black, covered with white spots, and an inch or more in body length. They are quite large and have black and white banded antennae longer than their body. Female beetles leave behind distinct marks on the bark of trees when laying their eggs. Females chew a shallow 3/4 inch scar in the tree’s bark, nicknamed a “cigar burn”, and lay an egg inside. The newly hatched larvae first feed near the surface of the trunk before moving into the heart of the tree. Wood of infected trees can be identified by the finger-width tunnels the larvae leave behind inside the wood. Adults emerge in summer, leaving a deep and perfectly circular half-inch hole in the side of the trunk.
However, all is not lost! The USDA, Clemson University, College of Charleston, and the SC Department of Natural Resources are making a serious and concerted effort to eradicate this dangerously invasive beetle from the South Carolina Lowcountry for good. The College of Charleston’s Stono Preserve was one of the first confirmed sights of Asian Long-horned Beetle in the state and they are working to facilitate the USDA’s establishment of a quarantine headquarters on the property. The USDA and Clemson University are jointly working to assess the scope of the infection and are drafting quarantine protocols and regulations for the area. SCDNR is proactively surveying all Red Maples on their 690-acre Dungannon Heritage Preserve, which is located in the heart of the infestation. The USDA was previously successful in eradicating the Asian Long-horned Beetle from New Jersey, Illinois, and much of New York and Massachusetts. There is still a good chance we can nip this problem in the bud before it gets out of control, especially with your help.
You too can help control the spread of the Asian Long-horned Beetle. Together we can stop it from ravaging our native ecosystems! First and foremost, if you see an adult beetle or the distinct marks they leave behind on host trees, report it to the USDA’s APHIS or Clemson Extension immediately! (Contact info below.) They’re the experts on handling this pest and they’ll know what to do. Other than that, the best thing you can do is not transport firewood or woody yard debris out of or within the infected area. Asian Long-horned Beetle larvae may be living inside of the wood and, if brought out of the quarantine area, can emerge to infect new areas of our state. The adult beetles only emerge during summer, do not live very long, and don’t move very far during that time. By not transporting wood within the infested area, we can drastically reduce the chances of live beetles escaping quarantine and destroying habitat in the surrounding coastal communities, such as Edisto Island.
Further reading on the Asian Long-horned Beetle:
USDA: THE LATEST NEWS ON THE ASIAN LONG-HORNED BEETLE
CLEMSON: MORE INFORMATION ON THE BEETLES IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Where to Report Asian Long-horned Beetle sightings:
Call the USDA at: (866) 702-9938
Contact Clemson: (864) 646-2140 or invasives@clemson.edu
Article by: Tom Austin, Land Protection Specialist for EIOLT
Photos by: Steven Long, Clemson University, Dept. of Plant Industry
Greetings from the EIOLT Education Outreach Committee! We have another learning opportunity for your presented by one of our local experts in the field.
In our third episode of Conversations in the Field, Melinda Hare is joined by local biologist and EIOLT’s very own Land Protection Specialist, Tom Austin. Tom explains the importance of grassland ecosystems to agriculture and the environment here on Edisto Island and in the surrounding Lowcountry. Tom also shines a light on what EIOLT is doing to conserve the gorgeous wildflower meadows at the Hutchinson House.
We hope you enjoy this informative presentation on a topic seldom covered.
Greetings from the EIOLT Education Outreach Committee! It’s time for another learning opportunity with one of our local experts in the field. In our second edition of Conversations in the Field, join EIOLT Board member and Master Naturalist, Lindsey Young, as she takes us on a special kayak trip through Big Bay Creek and the surrounding creeks on Edisto. This is your chance to learn about the variety of shorebirds that are often seen around our waterways as well as one of our local favorites – the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin.
If you’ve been stuck inside and want to experience the zen of a peaceful paddle on the water, this conversation about creek life is for you!
Greetings from the EIOLT Education Outreach Committee! We have been busy creating some new online learning opportunities just for you. This is the launch of our series, “Conversations In The Field”. We will be bringing you experts in a variety of fields who will discuss environmental and conservation topics.
Our first episode features Harleston Towles, a local farmer here on Edisto Island. Many of you requested this field trip, which we have had to postpone due to COVID-19. So instead we are taking you virtually to the field to see his farming operation and the beginnings of your Twenty Bag! Harleston incorporates sustainable and organic farming practices into his farm, Rooting Down Farms. These practices allow him to grow delicious, fresh local vegetables without harming the local environment, over-taxing the soil, or sacrificing the quality of the produce.
This week for Flora and Fauna Friday, we have an overgrown bushy-tailed grain-like wetland grass: Giant Bristlegrass (Setaria magna).
Giant Bristlegrass is a member of the Bristlegrass genus, Setaria. Bristlegrasses all share a similar growth habit: stiff flower stalks with widely spaced leaves that end in a bristly cylindrical cluster of seeds. The most famous of the genus, Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) was domesticated more than 10,000 years ago and is still grown widely as a food grain throughout Asia. Here in the Lowcountry, we have three native species of Bristlegrass (Giant, Coastal, and Marsh) and two invasive species (Green and Yellow). Of those, four are relatively small and fairly innocuous grasses that, to the untrained eye, can easily be mistaken for one another. However the fifth, Giant Bristlegrass, stands out above the rest, literally.
Giant Bristlegrass can easily exceed six feet in height with a seed head a foot long and an inch and a half in diameter. Individual plants grow as clumps and often have a half-dozen or more seed heads at once. When several plants grow together, they can really standout above a marsh or wetland. They grow in brackish marshes in saturated soils and tolerate periodic salt intrusion well. Seed heads mature in late summer and fall. The seeds of Giant Bristlegrass provide food for resident rodents and songbirds and migrating sparrows during winter.
This week for Flora and Fauna Friday, we’re hearing the inane and insane babbling of the Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major).
The Boat-tailed Grackle is a large member of the Blackbird family, Icteridae, and is typically a foot or more in length. They bear a long and rounded tail, lanky legs, and a dagger-like bill. Males are an oily iridescent black that often runs into shades of indigo across the body. Females range from a washed-out walnut to cinnamon-chocolate plumage, either extreme contrasting their shale-black flight feathers. Both sexes wear a sour demeanor. A look of simmering aggravation communicated through piercing banana-yellow eyes.
The size and color of a Boat-tailed Grackle are usually more than sufficient to identify them at a glance. Yet they are even more easily identified by their voice. The song of the male is a lovely string of screeching hollers, garbled gargling, and ear-splitting buzzes that command attention but scarcely admiration. To make matters worse, they are non-migratory and live in colonies. So rarely is one treated to a single seasonal shrieking soliloquy rather than an unceasing quarrelsome quartet. Females are thankfully far less vocal, sticking to simple barks and squawks.
As mentioned previously, Boat-tailed Grackles live in sedentary colonies making them a year-round resident of Edisto Island. They are a coastal species that is highly dependent on salt marsh and other tidal wetlands for habitat. They’re often spotted roosting on hammocks, docks, and marsh grass or foraging on beaches, mud flats, and oyster beds. However, this here Grackle is quite adaptable and they’ve taken quite the shine to beach urbanization. Boat-tailed Grackles are omnivorous and they’ve found themselves at home with coastal commercialization. Much like our Laughing Gulls, they’ve taken to patrolling parking lots and wharfs in search of wayward scraps. Their colonies make good use of docks, bridges, and causeways as stages for their unintelligible ramblings and vantages for foraging. They nest low in wet thickets and over marshes, areas rarely disturbed and often nearby to coastal developments.
This week for Flora and Fauna Friday we have an inhalable aromatic herb that’s a host for butterflies, Rabbit Tobacco (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium).
Rabbit Tobacco is a member of the Aster family. It’s found throughout South Carolina and the Eastern United States. It grows in open habitats on a wide array of soils but prefers dirt on the drier, sandier side in fallow hayfields. Rabbit Tobacco is an annual herb but interestingly it overwinters as a seedling to bloom and die in fall. It grows to about knee high on straight stems with foliage that gradually expands in breadth. The foliage of Rabbit Tobacco is lime-green and leathery above but upholstered below in a shimmering down of frosty silk that extends to its limbs and stem. The flowers of Rabbit Tobacco are small, white, and egg-shaped with an almost glowing golden opening at the tip. The flowers themselves are actually assemblages of many tiny flowers packed together. These packages of flowers are grown in clusters of a half dozen or so. Each of these clusters is again grouped into a half-dozen or so at the tip of each stem, and all of those groups are compounded into a collection of every stem and stalk that build into a cloud of flowers. This pale and puffy appearance makes Rabbit Tobacco stand out clearly from your average wildflower, floating like a foam atop the sea of undulating hay submersing a fallow field. The flowers of Rabbit Tobacco provide both nectar and pollen to our smaller native pollinators. They also smell like maple syrup! The scent of pancakes wafting in the breeze is unmistakable where these wildflowers thickly bloom. The flowers eventually mature into a cottony glob of tiny windblown seeds.
Rabbit Tobacco is the host plant for the American Lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis). The Lady’s caterpillars feed on the plant by weaving leaves and flowers into a protective shield around itself. These spiky red and white caterpillars can often be found nestled amongst the flowers of Rabbit Tobacco, munching away in their cozy cage.
As the common name alludes, Rabbit Tobacco is also an herb that has historically been smoked or burned as incense by both Native Americans and colonists. The plant indeed has quite a pleasant aroma when fresh, crush, or burned. Yet, the plant has no significant concentration of neurochemicals. It is smoked primarily for the flavor and scent as well as a myriad of purported health benefits. However, there has been no scientific documentation to corroborate any of the plant’s claimed medicinal properties. Most empirical evidence points to it being more harmful than helpful.
