The flora and fauna at the Bluff are a social bunch, welcoming Spring with quite the show. Not to be outdone, the Conservancy team has also been busy planting, watering, and monitoring our recent food plots. Reporting live from the field, here’s what is blooming at the Bluff...

Fetterbush: grows in thickets and smells like a cross between butterscotch and unburnt pipe tobacco

Rusty Lyonia: state-listed species that grows readily at Palmetto Bluff near our treasured wetlands

Wild Olive: sparsely abundant and makes a beautiful constituent in our native landscape

Red Buckeye: Every deer hunter knows if you want to bag a big buck, you better have buckeye in your pocket. Buckeye loves to grow in burnt woods and its blossoms are visible from afar. Beware, however, the buckeye fruit is toxic.

Trumpet Creeper: a beautiful vine that is a favorite for hummingbirds. It readily wraps around other Lowcountry plant species in a wiry cloak.

Dogwood: bright, white, fleeting, yet reliable, the epitome of spring blooms in the south. Legend has it that when the dogwood blooms drop, the turkeys quit gobbling for the year.

Crimson Clover: planted last September in our winter food plots, it grew, was eaten, regenerated this spring, and is back on the wildlife buffet.

With over 20,000 acres, it’s easy to spot the arrival of Spring at the Bluff, but you don’t have to venture quite as far to enjoy nature’s bounty. You can start by exploring your own backyard or neighborhood to see what beautiful blooms have made their Spring debut. It’s the perfect way to get outside while getting closer to nature.