TRANSCRIPT:
Hello this is Dr. Tom Mullikin with SCDNR for Into the Wild.
From the ground, a Carolina bay may look like an ordinary pond, wet meadow, or patch of woods. From above, its shape becomes clear - a shallow, oval depression set into the Coastal Plain.
Many Carolina bays fill during wet periods and shrink or even dry during drought. Those changing water levels create a variety of habitats for wetland plants, frogs, salamanders, insects, and other wildlife. One bay may hold open water, grassy edges, and forested wetland within a relatively small area.
Their name can be confusing because they are not ocean bays at all. They are quiet features of the landscape, often hidden in plain sight. The next time you cross the Coastal Plain, remember that some of South Carolina's most unusual wetlands may be just beyond the tree line.