natural history

“L” is for Lettered Olive. State shell. The lettered olive was declared the official state shell in 1984.

Edgefield native Drew Lanham wasn’t entirely sure what the phone call from Chicago was about. And, after he heard what the person on the phone had to say, he wasn’t altogether sure he believed the news: Drew had just won a MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the “genius grant.”The MacArthur Foundation says that “The 2022 MacArthur Fellows are architects of new modes of activism, artistic practice, and citizen science. They are excavators uncovering what has been overlooked, undervalued, or poorly understood. They are archivists reminding us of what should survive.”Drew Lanham, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University, talks with Walter Edgar about his life, his work, his writing, and about what may lie hopes to achieve through his work.

Edgefield native Drew Lanham wasn’t entirely sure what the phone call from Chicago was about. And, after he heard what the person on the phone had to say, he wasn’t altogether sure he believed the news: Drew had just won a MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the “genius grant.”The MacArthur Foundation says that “The 2022 MacArthur Fellows are architects of new modes of activism, artistic practice, and citizen science. They are excavators uncovering what has been overlooked, undervalued, or poorly understood. They are archivists reminding us of what should survive.”Drew Lanham, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University, talks with Walter Edgar about his life, his work, his writing, and about what may lie hopes to achieve through his work.

“S” is for Saluda River. In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Greenville County, near the North Carolina/South Carolina state line, the North and South Saluda Rivers meet to form the Saluda River.

“S” is for Saluda River. In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Greenville County, near the North Carolina/South Carolina state line, the North and South Saluda Rivers meet to form the Saluda River.

“P” is for Pee Dee River. The Pee Dee is a river system that drains northeastern South Carolina and central North Carolina.

“P” is for Pee Dee River. The Pee Dee is a river system that drains northeastern South Carolina and central North Carolina.

“C” is for Carolina parakeet. Now extinct, the Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinenis) was a dove-sized (about thirty-five centimeters long) bird with a bright green body, yellow head, and orange face.

“C” is for Carolina parakeet. Now extinct, the Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinenis) was a dove-sized (about thirty-five centimeters long) bird with a bright green body, yellow head, and orange face.

Edgefield native Drew Lanham wasn’t entirely sure what the phone call from Chicago was about. And, after he heard what the person on the phone had to say, he wasn’t altogether sure he believed the news: Drew had just won a MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the “genius grant.”The MacArthur Foundation says that “The 2022 MacArthur Fellows are architects of new modes of activism, artistic practice, and citizen science. They are excavators uncovering what has been overlooked, undervalued, or poorly understood. They are archivists reminding us of what should survive.”Drew Lanham, the Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University, talks with Walter Edgar about his life, his work, his writing, and about what may lie hopes to achieve through his work.