Monthly Archives: July 2015

Plans amended…

I had been scheduled for two salt marsh programs with summer camp groups today, but alas, these were cancelled due to the onslaught of stormy weather. Here’s hoping the weather clears by this eve for I am planning on an evening on the beach. One Leatherback Sea Turtle has nested on Hilton Head Island this season, and as a Sea Turtle Program volunteer I have been invited to participate in the nest inventory this evening, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

To make the best of the stormy weather I am working on the photo galleries for this site- Beach Formations, Critters, and Places. I’ve gone thru my photo files back to January of this year (I take a LOT of photos!!), uploading and organizing as I go. Before I go any further I will caption what I have so far. My hope is that you find the galleries not only cool to look at, but maybe give you a glimpse of something you’ve never seen before and a tidbit of info that you didn’t yet know. These will be a work in progress for a while, so check back often.

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Moon Snail collar found near the Folly, January 2015.

Name that spider!

001I was finishing a Beach Discovery Tour at Mitchelville Beach yesterday when one of the guests found a large spider high up in a tree and asked what it was. I honestly don’t know a lot about spiders so I zoomed in, snapped a photo, and promised an answer by that evening to be posted to the Facebook page. Unfortunately my photo turned out to be very poor and the best I could come up with that it was a Yellow (or White) Banded Garden Spider.

I had another tour group this morning and was able to snap some better photos.

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Camp Leo Visits the Critters

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Baby Alligators and Diamondback Terrapins

One of the programs offered by the Coastal Discovery Museum is an opportunity to “meet and greet” some of the critters that inhabit the lowcountry. Guests learn about the critters that inhabit the island and have the opportunity to touch and hold many of the animals, including alligators and snakes, but also some more traditionally “touchable” critters like rabbits.

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Just chillin’ with the children.

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Stormy Weather

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Miss Shelby when she’s not scared.

My dog, the ever “brave” Pembroke Welsh Corgi Shelby, is hiding under my chair as thunder rumbles so loudly that the windows vibrate. I’m in for the night so I’m hoping that it storms all night long and clears by morn, as so often happens during the heat of summer. This isn’t because of any particular love for thunderstorms, indeed, the noise tends to keep me awake, but because I am planning an early morning beachcombing expedition and stormy weather often churns up interesting finds that would lie undisturbed in calmer water. Continue reading

Blue Crab Adventure

blue crab 7-7-15

Look at that pretty girl flashing her painted nails (claws) at us.

I know, I know, it has been a year since I said I was going to start this blog, I guess it is safe to say that I can be a bit of a procrastinator. It has been an exciting year with much to share with you, but I had such a charming interaction with a fine young man from North Carolina that I need to jump right in with this.

One of the cool things that has happened in the past year is that I have become a docent at the Coastal Discovery Museum here on the island, so look forward to more about this in future posts. This morning I was the co-leader on the Blue Crab Discovery Tour where we teach guests about the importance of the Atlantic Blue Crab, the crab’s life cycle, and their importance as members of the coastal ecosystem. playing a role as both predators and prey. Continue reading