Leaving Lodge Pond at Donnelley Wildlife Mangement Area feels like stepping into a mysterious world.
January 25, 2020
Into the Woods
Tag Archives: Winter
Pigs! Stop!
Ted spotted them when I was driving and of course yelled “stop!” He got out of the car but I could not–it wasn’t a safe place to pull over plus I didn’t want to spook the pigs.
It was almost sunset with the sun was already down below the trees. I got a few images out the car window at a bad angle, in between watching out for cars running up behind us.
I was amazed how jet black this last little fellow was.
I expect Ted will have a variety of pictures and maybe a better story to tell.
Wintertime Cloudless Sulfur
We had a glorious, if not quite right for the middle of winter, weather day today. It was sunny and temps were in the low 70s (21C). I spotted several Cloudless Sulfur butterflies zipping around the swamp this afternoon.
Brightly colored Camellias, which bloom all winter here, were popular feeding spots.
This nearly gone by Jonquil didn’t look like much but the butterfly spent some time working it over.
This dandelion bloom hardly made it through the fallen leaves, making a perfect low spot for the butterfly.
Narcissus and a Wildflower, Yellow
Narcissus of various types bloom in late December and into January in the South Carolina low country.
I spotted several bunches of these petite yellow ones on a recent walk around Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.
They were in random spots with no other live vegetation around them which led me to a low key treatment.
This petite yellow wildflower stalk caught my eye, too.
Gerber Daisies, In Pink
These cheery Gerber Daisy blossoms reached for the sun on a cold January day.
I liked the color gradient of this one.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston
January 9. 2020
Winter Lounging
Even though it is winter, with some nights down to and below freezing temperatures, many Alligators are still out and about during the day around the swamp.
Supposedly they don’t eat it when it is cold, their metabolism slowing in a process called brumation.
I still want to keep my distance.
Young Alligator
Way at the back of the pond, under an overhang of trees a young Alligator assumed a pose I more often associate with sun bathing. We’ve had some warm days, but it is still winter and the water remains cold.
Great Egret in the Brown
There is not much color around the edge of the marsh right now. All of the reeds have turned brown and most have fallen over. A Great Egret struck a nice pose in the middle of this drab scene.
Great Blue Heron
I liked this foot up pose, even with that intruding dead limb across the bird’s neck. Over the last couple years this has been one of the favorite nesting trees for Great Blue Heron and Great Egrets so I expect I’ll be seeing a lot of that limb as breeding season unfolds.
Last year that limb had branches off it, that have either broken away or been pulled off for nest material and this would not have been a clear view. I think the remaining limb is too big for a Heron to break off and put in the nest but I won’t be surprised to see one try.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
This Yellow-rumped Warbler, also known as “Butter Butt” paused as he was looking for snacks along the tree line of the rice field dike.
The warblers tend to be fast and elusive, usually working the inner branches as they move along a tree line.
It’s always a treat when they turn towards the camera, even though this is not the Butter Butt’s most colorful side.
