natural history

On a mild winter afternoon in the Lowcountry, you may be surprised to see an alligator stretched along a bank. It is not necessarily hunting. Most often, it is simply trying to warm up.

Yaupon holly is a native plant that grows in the warmer parts of the eastern United States and is our only plant that contains caffeine.

Yaupon holly is a native plant that grows in the warmer parts of the eastern United States and is our only plant that contains caffeine.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, or Dawn Redwood, was considered long extinct from one hundred million years ago, until the 1940s.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, or Dawn Redwood, was considered long extinct from one hundred million years ago, until the 1940s.

Biogeographic disjunction is one reason we share so many plants, at least at the generic (or genus) level, with other places.

Biogeographic disjunction is one reason we share so many plants, at least at the generic (or genus) level, with other places.

“C” is for Cooper River. The Cooper River and its tributaries drain much of the central portion of the lowcountry.

“C” is for Cooper River. The Cooper River and its tributaries drain much of the central portion of the lowcountry.

“S” is for Spanish moss. Spanish moss is gray tree-borne epiphyte native to the coastal plain of the southeastern United States.