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NatureNotes
Mon-Fri, throughout the day

Naturalist Rudy Mancke, former host of SCETV's long-running NatureScene, shares his knowledge of plants and wildlife each weekday on NatureNotes. These 1-minute snippets offer you a chance to find out about diverse topics having to do with the natural world. From the inner workings of our world's ecosystems, to plants & animals unique to South Carolina, to tips on beautiful sites to visit, you'll learn more about the world around you on NatureNotes.

Click here to contact Rudy Mancke by email.

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Latest Episodes
  • A listener was happy to spot a monarch butterfly caterpillar on her milkwee plant. But, there was another vistor on the plant, not so welcome.
  • The common snapping turtle, or eastern snapping turtle, (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large freshwater turtle in the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida.
  • Papilio glaucus, the eastern tiger swallowtail, is a species of butterfly native to eastern North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States, ranging north to southern Ontario, Canada, and is common in many different habitats. It flies from spring until fall, during which it produces two to three broods.
  • Carolina wrens like to nest in corners and cubbies, as a listener found out.
  • Hyalophora cecropia, the cecropia moth, is North America's largest native moth. It is a member of the family Saturniidae, or giant silk moths. Females have been documented with a wingspan of five to seven inches (160 mm) or more. These moths can be found all across North America as far west as Washington and north into the majority of Canadian provinces.
  • Xysticus ferox, the brown crab spider, is a species of crab spider in the family Thomisidae.[1][2][3][4] It is found in the USA and Canada.
  • The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), also known as the eastern fox squirrel or Bryant's fox squirrel,[2] is the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America. Despite the differences in size and coloration, it is sometimes mistaken for American red squirrels or eastern gray squirrels in areas where the species co-exist.
  • A black racer looses its meal...
  • Stewartia malacodendron, the silky camellia, silky stewartia or Virginia stewartia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Theaceae. It grows slowly into a large deciduous shrub or small tree, typically 3–4.5 m (10–15 ft) tall, but sometimes as tall as 9 m (30 ft). It is native to the southeastern United States.
  • Eriophyes cerasicrumena, the black cherry leaf gall mite, is a species of gall mite in the family Eriophyidae. This species was formerly a member of the genus Phytoptus. They produce galls on black cherry plants. Caterpillars of cherry gall azure feed on these galls, and apparently also on the mites themselves