From the Mountains to the Sea
F LO R A & FAU N A G U I D E
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From the Mountains to the Sea F LO R A & FAU N A South Carolina’s great outdoors offers exceptional opportunities to encounter abundant plant and animal life. This easy-to-use guide will be an essential companion full of visual images and descriptions to use while exploring our spectacular state and an impressive resource to use for finding and appreciating these natural treasures.
Mammals
MAMMALS
Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
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ANIMALS
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
The American black bear’s range covers most of the North American continent. They are found in Alaska, much of Canada and the contiguous United States, and extend as far south as northern Mexico. Because of their versatile diet, black bears can live in a variety of habitat types. They inhabit both coniferous and deciduous forests, as well as open alpine habitats.
white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
The White-tailed Deer can be seen bounding through South Carolina’s woods year-round. They are plentiful in our state, and in 1972 the legislature named them the official state animal. They are herbivores, leisurely grazing on most available plant foods.
EASTERN COTTONTAIL (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts: The eastern cottontail has speckled brown-gray fur above, reddish-brown fur around its neck and shoulders and lighter fur around its nose and on its undersides. It has big eyes and a tail that is puffy white on the underside. In the winter its fur may be more gray than brown. The eastern cottontails are solitary and very territorial. It is mostly nocturnal, but it sometimes will come out in the early morning and at dusk and sometimes during the day on dark days.
Classification:
BOBCAT (Lynx rufus)
Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts: Bobcats are elusive and nocturnal, so they are rarely spotted by humans. They are found throughout South Carolina, being most abundant in the Coastal Plain, but apparently increasing in the Piedmont.
RED FOX (Vulpes vulpes)
Classification:
Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus parts of North Africa.
WILD BOAR (Sus scrofa)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
Wild Boar have been present in coastal South Carolina since they were released by the Spanish in the 1500s. Their historic range was geographically limited to floodplains of major river systems. In the mountains of the state, Eurasian wild hogs were introduced in the early 1900s.
COYOTE (Canis latrans)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
Coyotes are not native to South Carolina and can be killed year-round by licensed hunters, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. The species typically stands 26 inches at the shoulder, can weigh 60 pounds and live as long as 14 years, the state says.
NORTH AMERICAN BEAVER (Castor canadensis)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts: Waterfowl species. They are present in portions of all 46 South Carolina counties. Beavers are strictly vegetarians, eating leaves, twigs and the inner bark of trees. Their favorite tree species are willows, sweet gum, and maple.
southeastern muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts: Muskrats are abundant in the Piedmont of South Carolina, and there are scattered populations in the Upper Coastal Plain as well. They are semi-aquatic mammals, living along streams and in lakes, ponds, swamps and marshes.
GROUNDHOG (Marmota monax)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
Groundhogs can be spotted in Upstate South Carolina. They excavate their own holes or burrows within minutes. They develop complex burrows and tunnel networks for shelter and escape routes. These burrows provide the woodchuck a home for mating, raising young, hibernation, and protection from threats and predators.
RIVER OTTER (Lutra canadensis)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
Waterfowl species. In South Carolina, otters are found in each of our major river drainages but are most abundant in the coastal marshes and blackwater swamps because of the abundance of food and cover. Another ideal habitat for otters in the low country is found in coastal waterfowl impoundments.
AMERICAN MINK (Neovison vison)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts: South Carolina mink populations are highest in the southern coastal marshes, in the upper Piedmont region, or around the Jocassee Gorges. The mink’s diet varies among areas depending on the availability of prey species in localized habitats. Statewide, fish are the most important prey item making up about 40% of the diet.
RAFINESQUE’S BIG-EARED BAT (Corynorhinus rafinesquii)
srs.fs.usda.gov
Classification:
Facts:
Status:
As its name implies, this species has ears over an inch long. Rafinesque’s big-eared bats, like all bats in the southeastern United States, are insectivorous, nocturnal, and locate food primarily by echolocation. They consume a wide range of insects, including mosquitoes, beetles, and flies, although moths make up 90% of the diet.
Mammal
Least Concern
Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
In SC, the nine-banded armadillo is the species that is most often found. This species has nine rings of armor around their body, as well as 12 rings around their tail. When they’re fully grown, they can weigh up to 17 pounds.
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN (Tursiops truncatus)
Classification:
Facts:
Status:
The bottlenose dolphin is the most common marine mammal along the South Carolina coast. These are the dolphins that we see playing and feeding just off our island beaches. They are solid gray on top, with lighter sides and belly, and reach an adult length of between six and twelve feet.
Mammal
Least Concern
EASTERN BROWN PELICAN (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Classification: Mammal
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Birds
Status: Facts:
Eastern brown pelicans are common throughout coastal South Carolina and are one of the largest birds found on the east coast of the United States. The first eastern brown pelican was described in 1789 and came from Charleston Harbor. Pelicans nest in colonies and typically hatch 2 to 3 eggs after an incubation period of 30 days. The pelican’s diet consists exclusively of fish.
SOUTHERN BALD EAGLE (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts: Bald eagles build their nests in tall trees along coasts or on the banks of rivers and lakes. Suitable nest sites are chosen based on proximity to water, vantage point, and height of the tree. The ACE Basin constitutes the most important nesting area in the state, with 40% of nesting eagles living within its boundaries. Bald eagles feed mainly on fish, which are snatched out of the water with the eagles’ talons or stolen from ospreys.
BIRDS
Least Concern
CAROLINA WREN (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
Groundhogs can be spotted in Upstate South Carolina. They excavate their own holes or burrows within minutes. They develop complex burrows and tunnel networks for shelter and escape routes. These burrows provide the woodchuck a home for mating, raising young, hibernation, and protection from threats and predators.
RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER (Leuconotopicus borealis)
Classification: Mammal
Status: Endangered
Facts:
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers live in family groups and cooperate to raise young. They often forage in small groups and can be quite vocal. They excavate nest and roost cavities in living pine trees, pecking holes in the bark to keep a flow of sticky pitch around the nest cavity. They are endangered species that can be found around Fort Jackson.
BACHMAN’S SPARROW (Peucaea aestivalis)
Classification:
Facts:
Status:
Bachman’s sparrow is a small American sparrow that is endemic to the southeastern United States. This species was named in honor of Reverend John Bachman. Adults have rufous brown upperparts and crown with gray and black streaking on the nape, back and primaries. The face is gray with a rufous brown eyestripe.
Mammal
Near Threatened
AMERICAN WOODCOCK (Scolopax minor)
Classification: Mammal
Status:
Least Concern
Facts: American Woodcock spend most of their time hidden in fields and on the forest floor, where they probe for earthworms. They often rock back and forth while walking along the ground. On spring nights, males perform very conspicuous displays, giving a buzzy peent call, then launching into the air. Their erratic display flight includes a distinctive, twittering flight sound and ends with a steep dive back to the ground. They can be found around Roundtop Mountain.
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS (Vermivora chrysoptera)
Photo: Arni Stinnissen/Audubon Photography Awards/audubon.org
Classification:
Facts:
Status:
Golden-winged Warblers breed in tangled, shrubby habitats such as regenerating clearcuts, wet thickets, and tamarack bogs. They often move into nearby woodland when the young have fledged. Males sing their loud, buzzy song over and over again from the tops of shrubs during early summer. They can be found near Sassafras Mountain.
Mammal
Near Threatened
BLUE HERON (Ardea herodias)
Classification: Mammal
Facts:
Status:
Least Concern
Great Blue Herons are typically seen in South Carolina along the edges of rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Most of the time, they will either be motionless or moving very slowly through the water, looking for their prey. The Iroquois tribe particularly considered the blue heron as a great omen and a tremendously lucky sign for them. Some of their beliefs looked upon the heron as a greatly skilled hunter. Therefore, if any of them sighted a heron prior to a hunt, they took it as a good omen that the hunt would be successful.
COPPERHEAD SNAKE (Agkistrodon contortrix)
Classification: Reptile
Status:
Least Concern
Classification: Reptile
Facts: As the most common venomous snake in both North and South Carolina, copperheads can be found all over each state. They can grow to four feet in length, though most adults are between two and three feet. Copperheads are pit vipers, like rattlesnakes and water moccasins. Pit vipers have “heat-sensory pits between eye and nostril on each side of head,” which are able to detect minute differences in temperatures so that the snakes can accurately strike the source of heat, which is often potential prey.
Status: Vulnerable
Facts: Southern hognose snakes are fairly small, heavy-bodied snakes that reach about 24 inches in length. These snakes are easily distinguished from most snakes in our region by their pointed, upturned snouts. They are always gray, tan, or reddish in color with a series of dark brown blotches down the center of the back and alternating smaller blotches along the sides.
SOUTHERN HOGNOSE SNAKE (Heterodon simus)
REPTILES
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Reptiles
loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
Classification: Reptile
Status: Endangered
Facts: The loggerhead sea turtle, our state reptile, has a rich reddish-brown carapace and yellow plastron. Loggerheads usually leave the cold coastal waters in the winter and are often seen along the western edge of the Gulf Stream The loggerhead is the most common sea turtle to strand in South Carolina and the nesting population has declined three percent per year since records began in 1980.
AMERICAN ALLIGATOR (Alligator mississippiensis)
Classification: Reptile
Facts:
Status:
Least Concern
The American alligator is the only crocodilian native to South Carolina. American alligators reside nearly exclusively in the freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps, and marshes of the southeastern United States. Heavy and ungainly out of water, these reptiles are supremely well adapted swimmers. Males average 10 to 15 feet in length and can weigh 1,000 pounds. Females grow to a maximum of about 9.8 feet. They can be found in the Congaree National Park.
dnr.sc.gov
GOPHER TORTOISE (Alligator mississippiensis)
Classification: Reptile
Status: Vulnerable
Facts: The gopher tortoise is a fossorial, burrowing species that primarily inhabits xeric longleaf pine sandhills in South Carolina. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for at least 360 other animal species.
Fish
STRIPEd BASS (Morone saxatilis)
Classification: Fish
Status:
dnr.sc.gov
Least Concern
Facts:
Striped bass are found in major rivers and large impoundments of South Carolina. They are also found in estuarine and coastal areas. They prefer cool waters and are diadromous throughout their range, except in South Carolina. Diadromous fishes use both marine (saltwater) and freshwater habitats during their life cycle.
ALLIGATOR GAR (Atractosteus spatula)
Classification: Fish
Facts:
Status:
Least Concern
Alligator gars are large, carnivorous fish that used to exist all over the world. Their habitat has become greatly reduced, limited to areas of Central America and North America. Alligator gars typically live in freshwater or brackish water but are sometimes found in saltwater. These freshwater fish are fixtures in environments including bayous, rivers, estuaries, bays, oxbows and sizable lakes.
Classification: Fish
Facts: Black crappie are a freshwater species. They often form schools and feed early in the morning. Black crappie inhabits temperate waters. In the spring during spawning season, male crappie begin building nests by clearing sand, mud or gravel from the water bottom in preparation for the egg laying females to arrive. The crappie is one of the most popular sport fishes in South Carolina and can be found in Lake Moultrie.
SHORT-NOSED STURGEON (Acipenser brevirostrum)
Classification: Fish
Facts:
Status: Vulnerable
Short-nosed Sturgeons are an ancient species of fish with fossils dating back 65 million years. The Short-nose sturgeon can be found in the salt or brackish coastal waters of South Carolina. It looks like a prehistoric cross between a shark and a catfish!
FISH
Least Concern
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Status:
BLACK CRAPPIE (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)
BLACKTIP SHARK (Carcharhinus limbatus)
Classification: Fish
Status:
Near Threatened
Facts: Blacktips are in South Carolina between April and September. They are typically the smallest of the giants in our waters, but by no means small, growing up to 150 pounds and typically around 4-5 feet long. Some can grow up to 8 feet. Blacktip sharks showing curiosity towards divers have been reported, but they remain at a safe distance. Under most circumstances, these timid sharks are not regarded as highly dangerous to humans.
BULL SHARK (Carcharhinus leucas)
Classification: Fish
Facts:
Status:
Near Threatened
Bull sharks get their name from their short, blunt snout, as well as their pugnacious disposition and a tendency to head-butt their prey before attacking. They are medium-size sharks, with thick, stout bodies and long pectoral fins. Bull sharks are in South Carolina between March and October, but peak season is between July and August.
Classification: Invertebrate
Facts: Honeybees are flying insects, and close relatives of wasps and ants. They are found on every continent on earth, except for Antarctica. Honeybees are social insects that live in colonies. The hive population consists of a single queen, a few hundred drones, and thousands of worker bees. The honeybees we know and love forage for nectar and pollen from flowering plants. They use the nectar collected to create nature’s candy - honey!
EASTERN OYSTERS (Crassostrea virginica)
Classification: Invertebrate
Status:
Least Concern
Facts:
Oysters, like other bivalves, have two shells that are hinged at one end. The shape of the shell and its weight vary according to the oyster’s habitat. Although they occur at depth down to about 100 feet, oysters’ primary habitat is in shallow water. In South Carolina, oyster reefs develop in intertidal areas and subtidal areas (less abundant in South Carolina) to about a depth of 6-9 feet. They can be found in Awendaw Creek!
INVERTEBRATES
HONEYBEE (Apis mellifera)
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Invertebrates
Botany YELLOW JESSAMINE (Gelsemium sempervirens)
Facts:
The Yellow Jessamine became our official state flower on March 14,1924. Because it is native to our state, it is also called Carolina jessamine. Jessamine is an evergreen vine that climbs trees, fences, and latticework all over our state. It blooms in very late winter or early spring, offering the first hope of warm weather to come!
GREAT WHITE TRILLIUM (Trillium grandiflorum)
Facts:
Herbaceous perennial. The Great white trillium or wood lily is a simple, graceful perennial that is one of the most familiar and beloved of the spring woodland wildflowers in eastern North America. Leaves, petals and sepals all come in groups of three. These wildflowers can be found in Oconee State Park.
Mayapple is unique in that it has only two leaves and one flower, which grows in the axil of the leaves. The large, twin, umbrella-like leaves of mayapple are showy and conspicuous. Although the leaves, roots, and seeds are poisonous if ingested in large quantities, the roots were used as a cathartic by Native Americans. These flowers can be found in Oconee State Park.
PINK LADY’S SLIPPER ORCHID (Cypripedium acaule)
Facts:
Pink Lady’s Slipper or Moccasin Flower is widely distributed across the eastern United States and eastern to central Canada, from Alabama to the Northwest Territories. It produces 2 basal leaves and a solitary flower with purplish brown to green petals and sepals. This orchid, like most Lady’s Slippers, attracts pollinators through deception. Bees are lured into the pouch by the bright color and sweet scent of the flower. Inside, they find no reward but are trapped with a single exit. These flowers can be found in Oconee State Park.
BOTANY
Facts:
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MAYAPPLE (Podophyllum peltatum)
SOLOMON’S PLUME (Maianthemum racemosum)
Facts:
Solomon’s Plume is graced with white flowers on long arching stems in spring, followed by bright red clusters of berries in the fall. This woodland native spreads slowly by underground rhizomes to form attractive patches. Typically found in partial shade and soft moist soils, it also grows in acid soils under oaks and pines. The seeds are a favorite of Ruffed Grouse. This plant can be found around Rainbow Falls.
ROUGH-LEAVED LOOSESTRIFE (Lysimachia asperulaefolia)
Facts:
Photo by: Dale Suiter / fs.fed.us
Rough-leaf loosestrife is endemic to the coastal plain and sandhills of North Carolina and South Carolina. They are endangered species that can be found around Fort Jackson. The main threat to the species is the loss and degradation of its habitat. Much of the land in the region has been developed, the wetlands drained and dried to create land for residential, industrial, and recreational purposes. Habitat that remains is improperly managed, becoming degraded as the natural fire regime is prevented. As fire suppression practices have been implemented, the pocosins, sandhills, and swamps have overgrown with brush and woody vegetation.
SMOOTH CONEFLOWER (Echinacea laevigata)
Facts:
Smooth coneflower is a perennial herb in the Aster family (Asteraceae) that grows up to 3.3 feet tall from a vertical root stock. The large leaves may reach eight inches in length and three inches in width and taper into long leaf stalks toward the base. They are smooth to slightly rough in texture. They are endangered species that can be found around Fort Jackson. clemson.edu
KUDZU (Pueraria montana)
Facts: Kudzu is a semi-woody, trailing or climbing, perennial invasive vine native to China, Japan, and the Indian subcontinent. Kudzu is also known as foot-a-night vine, Japanese arrowroot, Ko-hemp, and “the vine that ate the South.” The vine, a legume, is a member of the bean family.
THE POET’S DAFFODIL (Narcissus poeticus)
Facts:
Poet’s Daffodil is extremely fragrant, with a ring of sepals in pure white and a short corona of light yellow with a distinct reddish edge. Poet’s daffodil is cultivated in the Netherlands and southern France for its essential oil, narcissus oil, one of the most popular fragrances used in perfumes. Narcissus oil is used as a principal ingredient in 11% of modern quality perfumes—including ‘Fatale’ and ‘Samsara’—as a floral concrete or absolute. The oil’s fragrance resembles a combination of jasmine and hyacinth.
KOUSa DOGWOOD (Cornus kousa)
Facts:
Dogwood trees are widely known for their delicate beauty, and the kousa variety adds a toughness that makes this species an excellent choice for home landscapes and urban areas. The tree also makes a visual contribution yearround. In spring, it produces a heavenly array of star-like blooms. In summer, its intriguing canopy of layered branches provides shade and beauty. In autumn, it offers a spectacular bright red color. Even in winter, this tree has an appeal all its own with bark that resembles a jigsaw puzzle.
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