Adult Coyote

Up Close

The pictures below were taken with one the new Ipads and microscopes that were bought for the Park Rangers using money donated by the Saluda Shoals Park Foundation.  The equipment will be used for education programs when school groups visit the park for a Park Ranger led program.  The mosquito and scorpion in the photos were collected and cataloged by Saluda Shoals Park resident scientist Dr. Lou Rigley.  The mosquito was collected in the park during Dr. Rigley’s mosquito study but the scorpion was collected elsewhere and saved for research purposes.  Dr. Rigley has completed his mosquito study using the park as his primary research facility and has plans to conduct other studies within the park.  For more information research projects in the park be sure to visit our website at www.icrc.net.

Mississippi Kite Release

Mississippi Kite release

From time to time, as Park Rangers, we have an opportunity to release rehabilitated wildlife back into their natural habitat. Our most recent release, two Mississippi Kites, came from Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Raptor Center wanted to have these Kites released further south since this is the time they begin their southern migration.  It is always a pleasure getting to see these majestic creatures take flight back into the world.

Mississippi Kites are migratory birds of prey that have about a three foot wingspan and a migration range from Southern US to mid South America. They are insect eaters and can actually eat their prey in flight. You will often see them in woodland areas on the edge of meadows where they can easily find prey.

Unfortunately, birds of prey are not always this lucky and sometimes become permanent captive birds or have to be humanely put down.  But, there are things YOU can do to help!  Picking up litter or not littering at all decreases the amount of mice and rodents on the side of the road. That in turn decreases the number of hawks or owls that come to hunt and may get hit by a car. A bird house or feeder in your yard offers migrating birds a place to stop and rest along their route.

Saluda River Trout Fishing

Photo courtesy of South Carolina DNR

When you visit Saluda Shoals Park you are entering a beautiful, safe haven for many different types of plants and animals. The park’s location along the banks of the Lower Saluda River offers many diverse habitats, but the most unique habitat in the park is the river itself. The Lower Saluda River is regulated by the release of water from the Lake Murray Dam. The water that flows through the river comes from deep in the lake where the waters are much colder which keeps the Lower Saluda River water temperature between 50-60 degrees year around.

These lower than normal water temperatures make the Saluda River suitable for trout to survive. Consequently, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has introduced two non-native species, Rainbow and Brown trout into the river to provide sporting opportunities for fisherman. DNR releases nearly 28,000 trout into the river each December, many of those fish are stocked by helicopter to ensure that the fish do not become over populated in a specific area. Currently, DNR is conducting a trout study in the Lower Saluda to develop a better understanding of how long these trout are surviving in the river. Of the fish released during December 2012, 5,000 were weighed, measured, and tagged before release. When an angler catches one of these trout, they are asked to call DNR and report the measurements of their catch. This information allows biologist to determine how well the fish are growing and how long they are surviving. A drop box for the red tags has been placed near the Saluda Shoals Park boat ramp where fisherman can deposit the tags after reporting their catch.

Trout are some of the most sought after sport fish and have been introduced in many areas outside of their natural ranges. The Rainbow trout is native to the West Coast and northern parts of North America, while the Brown trout is native to Europe. In their native homes these fish would be born in fresh water rivers and streams, then leave those waters to live and grow in the oceans. Once the trout mature, they return to their native rivers to lay eggs and reproduce or spawn.

The trout that call the Lower Saluda home cannot leave the river for the ocean because as the Saluda water moves further from the dam, the water temperature rises to a point that is not suitable for the fish. This short stretch of the lower Saluda River has become a “put and take” fishery where the fish are stocked each year to be caught by fishermen. Through efforts of SC DNR, SCE&G, local officials, and local fishing groups, the water in the river has improved to a point that some fish are surviving for longer than a year. Larger fish of trophy size have become more abundant in the river and Saluda Shoals Park is one of the best access points for fisherman to find the “big ones.” The shoals in the Saluda River are trout hot spots where many fishermen have found success.

The largest set of shoals can be easily found by taking a short walk down the paved Greenway Trail that begins near the Environmental Education Center. The shoals are located at the upper end of Corley Island and are very visible from the trail. Many of the large rocks in this part of the river funnel water into a swift current creating hiding spots where trout wait for food to flow downstream. Overhanging trees, downed logs, and thick blankets of aquatic plants also offer additional hiding places for the trout. Many types of fishing techniques have been successful in the river. Fly fisherman can be seen wading throughout the river imitating the different hatches that are in the area during that time. Canoes and kayaks offer access to deeper areas that may be difficult to wade.

For a fun day of fishing and the unusual chance to catch trout in the south, come to Saluda Shoals Park. A park ranger will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have and give advice on how to land a “wall hanger.”

For more information on the Lower Saluda Trout Study please visit: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/troutstudy/report.html.

For current river conditions and river information visit: http://www.sceg.com/en/our-community/outdoor-recreation/lower-saluda-river/

Shrooming! Fascination without the Hallucination

Before I go on, it is important to understand that this blog is in no way a resource for learning how to identify mushrooms. I am a novice who finds identifying fungus intriguing and challenging.
As an Interpretive Park Ranger at Saluda Shoals Park, I am constantly outdoors and always on the lookout for wildlife in our park. Recently, while exploring just over an acre, I found four different fungi species. One species is a multi-colored mushroom with polka dots. This species of fungi usually appears at the base of pine trees and is poisonous. Mushrooms like this fascinate and transport children to a fairy tale world like Alice in Wonderland, with disappearing cats and plants larger than life. For young children, finding and picking these brightly colored mushrooms is a great temptation. Mushrooms in the wild should not be harvested unless you know the differences between poisonous and non poisonous species. Certain fungi, however, are adept at disguising themselves – they are accomplished mimics. Unlike animals that use mimicry for defense, fungi mimicry can be used to assist with spore dispersal or to circumvent host defenses.

What is the difference between Mushrooms and toadstools? As it turns out, mushrooms refer only to members of the genus Agaricus. These are the cultivated white button mushrooms you would typically see in the grocery store. Toadstools on the other hand are any fungi with a cap and stem which appears different from Agaricus. Toadstools include other non-mushroom forms of fungi such as puffballs, earthstars, and coral fungi.

In the Park, we have fungi with many different shapes, colors, textures, designs, sizes and even smells. The shelf fungi that we found are almost two feet wide.

Visit Saluda Shoals Park and make your own fungi discoveries. Bring a fungi identification book and be an expert before you forage, or just enjoy the beauty of the fungi you find.

Strawberry Bush

Strawberry Bush. Have you ever heard of strawberries in the fall? Saluda Shoals Park is home to strawberry bushes which bloom in the fall. They can be found along the edge of Rawls Creek while walking the Greenway Trail toward the Saluda River.
The American strawberry bush is a thin little shrub with narrow, opposite leaves, and green stems. In the spring, it blooms with tiny inconspicuous flowers. In the fall, the flowers give way to distinct crimson red fruit that looks like strawberries. The bush grows 4 – 6 ft tall and has a loose sprawling structure with thin, wiry spreading branches, an open, airy form and a cluster of several main upright stems. The twigs are distinctive, four-angled and green. The deciduous leaves are 2 – 3 inches long and have fine toothed edges. The springtime flowers are only about a third of an inch across, with five greenish yellow petals. The fruit is a warty red capsule about 1 inch across that looks a little like a strawberry. When ripe, the capsule splits open to reveal four or five orange-red seeds framed by the persistent scarlet husks. White-tailed deer love this plant and will eat the foliage and small twigs every chance they get.

American strawberry bushes occur in the shady understory of moist forests of eastern North America from New York south to Florida and west to Oklahoma and east Texas.

Purple Leaf Basil

Over the summer Saluda Shoals Park rangers have observed the gardens around the Environmental Education Center are flourishing – in spite of the long periods of hot, dry weather. In the Butterfly and Hummingbird garden the curly leaf basil, Ocimum basilicum, commonly known as Purple Ruffles, has returned in profusion. Purple basil, of which there are several varieties, is a hot weather herb cultivated from ordinary basil. Purple basil can be used in the same ways as any other type of basil – for flavor in cooking or as a garnish. You can also use basil in the garden as a companion plant to repel aphids, mites, and tomato hornworms. Once the flowers appear at the end of August/September, the pollinators also arrive. Butterflies and bees are the main pollinators of basil, ensuring fertile seeds for next spring. Hummingbirds are beginning to leave on their migration south, but have had the benefit all through the summer of the other nectar producing flowers in the garden.

We are not sure how this plant’s seeds arrived in the butterfly and hummingbird garden at Saluda Shoals Park last spring, but hundreds of seeds found the garden to be the perfect place for their propagation. Towards the end of last summer, we noticed that when the flowers matured, the petals dried, dropped off and the green carpels that formed pods remained attached to the bloom stalks. Later in the season the carpels turned brown as the seeds inside matured. Once the carpels were dry and brown we stripped some of the pods from the blooms stems and crumbled them between our fingers to release the seeds. Some seeds self released over the winter. When we split a seed pod open, we could see the developing round shaped seeds inside. We noticed that as the seeds coats hardened, they changed color from pale green to brown to black.

This spring the basil reappeared in greater abundance and has grown to about two feet tall during the summer. All too soon, with the arrival of winter’s frost, only dry husks will remain which, in their turn; will assist in the germinating of new life for the coming spring.

American Beautyberries on the Greenway Trail

As Park Rangers, we have the opportunity to observe wildlife and plants that the average park visitor might pass by if not being observant. One such plant that has caught our eye is the, Callicarpa, Americana L., more commonly known as the American Beautyberry or French Mulberry. Native to the southeastern United States, the beauty-berry grows between 3 – 5 ft. tall and usually just as wide. The plant can even reach 9 ft. when growing in favorable soil and moist conditions.
Identifying this tree is fairly easy. It has long arching branches and yellow-green foliage. The bark is smooth with elongated, raised corky areas and is light brown on older wood and reddish brown on younger wood. The leaves grow in pairs or in threes, with the blades half as wide as they are long and up to 9 inches in length. What really make the beautyberry stand out are the berries that grow just below the leaves. These colorful berries in hues of pink and purple become incredibly vivid in September and last long into the winter.

The beautyberry is an attractive plant that attracts wildlife. It provides food for many bird species including robins, cardinals, mockingbirds, brown thrashers, bobwhites, finches and towhees. White-tail deer also enjoy eating enjoy this berry.

It has also been discovered that the American Beautyberry is a natural insect repellent for mosquitoes and ticks. Department of Agriculture research reports that a chemical from the plant – callicarpenal – has been patented as a mosquito repellent.