Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.

♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> Well, good evening and welcome to Making It Grow .

We are so happy you can be with us tonight.

I'm Amanda McNulty, a Clemson Extension Agent and my fellow Clemson person, Terasa Lott is with us, and she's the Midlands District Director.

And, I've met several people who are new to the Sumter office.

I got to meet the new 4-H agents the other day, that was so much fun!

> Yes, we have two relatively new staff members, having started in the fall of 2025.

So, Cindy Foley's our 4-H Agent.

And then Bradley Secraw is our Home Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator.

Amanda> And we're trying to get him on the show, but he's so busy, so I know he'll be here and everybody will enjoy meeting him.

<That's right.> Thank you for being here today.

Well, from the upstate, we have Stephanie Turner and Stephanie, Greenwood is, kind of... an unusual place.

I think it has a wonderful community because it used to be kind of far away from places.

> We are a little hub, a natural hub for our surrounding towns, yeah.

We kind of call ourselves the Lakelands or the area around there, so yeah.

Amanda> And I think you have a university so close by too.

Stephanie> Yes, we have Lander University and we also have a Piedmont Technical College campus in town.

Amanda> Lots of opportunities for learning, including taking your master gardener class.

<Exactly> And you wanna brag about Jet for a minute?

Stephanie> Oh, sure, I have a teenager, junior, right now, and he's going to be in the Lander Film Festival, this weekend.

So we're really excited about seeing his film on the screen there.

Amanda> Isn't that wonderful, good for him.

Thanks for making the trek.

Doctor Emily Belser, you do real estate sales for American Forest Management.

Dr.

Belser> Yes, ma'am, I do.

So, I work with AFM Real Estate.

So we do sell land, but we also have a very large forestry division.

So we have a lot of foresters on staff and help landowners with their land.

Amanda> And, I understand that there's no, market for pulpwood anymore because we don't use so much paper anymore or something like that.

Dr.

Belser> Yes ma'am, the pulpwood market is definitely suffering right now.

Absolutely.

Amanda> So people having a hard time getting things... <Yes, ma'am.> Amanda> Yeah, well, I hope something comes in to take its place, how about that?

Dr.

Belser> Yes, that is the hope.

I know they're working on it.

Amanda> Oh, are they?

Okay, well great.

Doctor John Nelson, who retired from the, the Herbarium at the University of South Carolina and still is always doing things you just love to go out and get plants and put them in your... plant press.

And the university, I think Keith has a lot of... Herrick has a lot of volunteers up there helping him.

Always adding things to y'all's collection.

Dr.

Nelson> Right, there's always something going on there.

Every time I, bop in and, see what's going on.

And, lots of opportunities for volunteers at the herbarium.

Amanda> You think they could use some more people sometimes?

Dr.

Nelson> They always need, you know, interested people to come up and like, you know, putter around and help with things.

And if anybody was interested, they could give Herrick a call, his number is, I happen to know it.

It would be (8-0-3) 7-7-7-8-1-7-5.

Amanda> And also, we had a question the other day about what a twig was and, I don't remember it it wasn't you, Stephanie, it was somebody, and I suggested, nobody knew, and I suggested- I called Herrick, and he said, "blah, blah, blah."

<He knew right away.> So I want to let people know that if you have a question, Herrick is more than delighted to answer your question.

You can send him an email, or you can, drop something off and, I mean, they're not just there for the university.

They're there for the citizens of South Carolina.

Dr.

Nelson> Let's remind them that, his name is Brown, Herrick Brown.

Dr.

Brown, he does plenty of plant identification.

Amanda> Yeah and a very nice person comes to see us sometimes.

<He's one of my students.> How about that?

And I think you got a lot of students right now.

Dr.

Nelson> Well, I'm just looking forward to the first meeting of "Botany Boot Camp."

Coming up very soon.

Amanda> Well, I'm hoping to be, a continuing-ed kid.

Dr.

Nelson> Yeah.

Are you signed up?

Amanda> I'm gonna, I'm getting there.

Okay.

Thanks so much for being with us.

<Thank you> And, we're so excited that, if you want to, you can watch a fascinating program we did a little while back with Tony Mills of Coastal Kingdom about snakes.

And one of the snakes ended up, kind of getting lost in my shirt at the end of the show.

So, that was kind of fun.

Yeah, yeah.

He is a delightful, delightful naturalist.

And has a program on SCETV that you should check it out.

I think it's just wonderful.

Okay, well, Terasa, Terasa> Speaking of wonderful, it's time to see the wonderful photos that our viewers have shared, highlighting what they're growing in their yards, gardens, or capturing one of the many beautiful places in South Carolina.

Our journey today actually begins outside of our borders in North Carolina.

Al Bly shared Forsythia from Rutherford County.

Rosewood Nature Trail shared dogwood flowers.

But you have to look very closely because those showy white parts that you see are actually bracts with the true flowers located in the center.

From Bob Gold, we have a very creative wall of flowers in Murrells Inlet Vidro-Matinez shared Bridal Wreath Spirea which is in downtown Columbia.

And last but not least, Janice and Larry Elder shared a photograph of peach trees in Chesnee, South Carolina.

And Janice reported "that the beauty simply took their breath away."

And if you look really closely, there is a cloud in the photograph that's the shape of a heart.

<Oh!> It really was a glorious picture.

And although we don't think of peach trees as being ornamental, they really are beautiful, especially when they're in flower.

Amanda> Oh, my gracious, just magnificent.

Dr.

Nelson> They actually make a pretty good cut flower if you can get them early enough and force them to bloom in a vase.

Amanda> Okay.

Oh, you can bring them in and then they'll open.

<Oh, yeah.> But change the water every day.

That's the secret or one of the secrets, I think.

Thanks to everybody, Terasa.

Terasa> Mhm, we hope that you will continue sharing your photographs.

It's really easy to participate.

All you have to do is look for us to make the call for "Gardens of the Week" on our Facebook page, and when you see that, post your photos in the comments.

Do hold your photo, your camera sideways.

So we get nice big pictures that cover the entire screen when they're shown on air.

Amanda> Okay, does somebody need some help with something Terasa?

Terasa> We're gonna start off with a show and tell, but it could be considered help, because I think Stephanie has some advice perhaps on Baptisia.

Stephanie> Oh, yeah.

So, in early spring, you may still see some remnants of last year's seed pods, from Baptisia.

Amanda> Shake it around.

[rattle noise] Stephanie> Ra, ta, ta, ta, ta.

So, this is one of our favorite, rain garden plants, actually, in the Greenwood area.

So we have a couple of rain gardens, one uptown Greenwood and one right outside of our extension office.

And Baptisia is nice in that way, because it'll take long periods of drought, but then it'll also tolerate periods of flooding.

And so, it's a wonderful specimen for those types of situations.

And rain gardens are a great way to catch some of your storm water and kind of help it filter through.

Amanda> It's also lovely in bloom.

Stephanie> It's beautiful in bloom, and then it's just beautiful, you can use these as arrangements too, if you wanted to bring those in and do that as well.

And then, you know, when you're through with them, go back outside and scatter the seeds.

Amanda> I was gonna ask, does it come up from seed sometimes?

<It sure does.> And, yeah, just a... and doesn't get too big, but it could be very showy.

Stephanie> Yes, and it's got very pretty, kind of airy foliage to it.

And, it works really well with a lot of other rain garden plants.

We have things like Rudbeckia, Amsonia.

Amanda> But fine in just a regular garden?

Stephanie> But also, yeah in a landscape that would be fine, too.

Sure, yeah.

Amanda> Well, thanks so much for sharing that with us.

Terasa?

Terasa> What is next?

Let's see what we have.

This one actually is a show and tell.

I have some of this coming up in... I guess you'd say it's in an unwanted place.

It's in the walkways between my vegetable garden raised beds, but I just don't have the heart to pull it out because it's so cute.

And Emily and I were talking about it before the show.

It's something hard to photograph because it's so dainty.

Dr.

Belser> It is dainty, and this one is kind of sad and wilted because I picked it up this morning.

But this is blue toadflax and, it is obviously flowering now in the springtime.

And it sends up these flowering stalks and it has leaves kind of sparsely along that.

And then it has these branching stems as well.

And the leaves are linear on the bottom.

And as far as wildlife usage goes, because that's what I'm most interested in.

Deer will occasionally graze on it.

They might eat a little bit of it.

It doesn't have a ton of value there.

But the best news is it's not super competitive with our, any of our other native plants.

Amanda> So it is a native plant?

Okay, cool!

Yeah.

Dr.

Nelson> And a lot of times you'll see this growing in the fields with sourweed.

Dr.

Belser> Yes you will.

Amanda> Well it's certainly a lovely little plant.

And, to take the time to look at maybe with your, with your lens.

That'd be fun wouldn't it?

<Yeah> Yeah, okay.

Thank you so very much for stopping and getting that for us.

<Of course.> Terasa> You ready to see what's up next?

We're going to try to answer a question now, from Lexington.

Sharon said, "My Carolina Jessamine flowers have been particularly fragrant this spring.

Where does fragrance in a flower come from?"

That's a great question.

Amanda> Dang, that's interesting.

Dr.

Nelson> What a great question.

Amanda> Do you think you, maybe can help us understand this?

Dr.

Nelson> Let me think back to my days in graduate school.

Plant anatomy... Well, flower fragrance is kind of complicated.

But there are a good many different kinds of compounds, as I recall.

Organic compounds, that a lot of botanical chemists- <Analyze> Call V-O-Cs.

They're volatile organic compounds.

And they are, an array of these molecules that are fairly small in size so that they can waft around in the air, that they are volatile.

And that's the reason we can smell them.

If they were larger molecules, they would probably- <Ooh, fascinating!> Anyway, it seems as though, she really picked a good one to talk about, Jessamine, Carolina Jessamine.

Did you know, there are some stinky flowers too.

And, they do it more or less the same way, only with different compounds.

<Okay> A lot of these, compounds come out of special glands or little places.

There's a name for them, osmophores.

<Okay> That are, on either the petals or on the stamens themselves, and that's where the actual compounds are produced.

Amanda> So, it's really in the flower?

Dr.

Nelson> Oh, yeah, yeah.

And, you know, it's kind of fun to talk about the smelliest flowers you can think of, and I bet you have one.

Amanda> A stinky- a smelly flower?

Dr.

Nelson> Yeah, well you like smelly flower, good or bad.

Amanda> Well, I know about the stinkhorn mushrooms, but I can't think of a flower that's- Dr.

Nelson> What about pawpaw?

Amanda> Well, yeah, it's a little... yeah, but not that bad.

Dr.

Nelson> Well, I got another one for you.

Amanda> I'm pretty forgiving.

Dr.

Nelson> There's a plant- Amanda> Well, pawpaw's supposed to attract flies.

Dr.

Nelson> It does.

Amanda> And that's why it's supposed to smell like rotting meat.

Dr.

Nelson> And flies like it.

<Yeah, yeah.> Dr.

Nelson> But there's a plant that we don't see too often, called pinesap.

And it grows mostly, it does grow in South Carolina, but not much.

And it's way up in the mountains.

Mostly, mostly.

<Yeah> And it's a teeny little thing, just this tall.

<Come on!> And it's a little bit, it's like, if you look at the plant, it's brown.

It's not very pretty.

Brownish-red.

But usually, people don't know that it's there.

Cause they can smell it.

When it's in bloom, it has this incredible and wonderful sort of cinnamon and nutmeg flavor... <Woah!> It's just, it varies from place to place.

But a lot of botanists that I've talked to, they say they're walking around in the woods and they can smell this thing.

And they look around and there's nothing to see.

[laughter] The thing is, that these little plants, pinesaps, the genus is Monotropsis.

They're pretty much underneath the leaf litter, <Mercy> And it's great because they do attract pollinators, but you just can't see the plants.

[laughter] Pinesap.

Amanda> Pinesap.

Gosh.

I guess maybe one day, I mean, it'd be fun to smell it, wouldn't it?

Terasa> Would that be ants or beetles or something like that that would be because you've got... you said it's under the leaf litter.

Dr.

Nelson> The way I understand it, they are small bees that go after that fragrance.

I mean, they're smelling that fragrance, too.

Amanda> Okay.

Thank you.

I would like to take a moment and talk about one of the worst plants in the world.

Terasa> It's kind of fragrant.

Dr.

Nelson> Which is fragrant.

Amanda> Which is the Asian Wisterias.

And in their own, where they're native, they are pretty well behaved.

But sometimes, when we bring things over, or when our things go over somewhere, there are not these natural things that keep them in check.

And this one, just, goes crazy and it's so destructive because it twines around trees and becomes very thick.

And so if the tree tries to expand, it can strangle it.

But, the worst thing, I guess, or one of, it goes over the tops of trees and occludes.

There's no sunlight that could come down.

And so everything beneath it is just, you know, it has no sunlight.

And, going down towards... Clarendon County, there's... there are hundreds of acres where it's was planted a long time ago, sadly, by a family that had built a beautiful plantation there.

And it's just dead woods, everywhere.

And, so do please, if you have this, if you can use a, non-selective herbicide and cut the stem, and apply that herbicide appropriately following the directions, you could get rid of it.

But it really is to me just- And we have a native Wisteria.

I will say, it's not quite as beautiful because it blooms when the leaves are out.

So it doesn't quite make the display that this one does.

But, it doesn't have any of the, unpleasant and really damaging consequences.

Terasa> Amethyst Falls is a very common cultivated variety of that Wisteria frutescens, that native species.

So if you're out and about, selecting plants for your landscape, that's the one that you're looking for.

You don't want the Japanese- Amanda> I guess when you're out looking on properties, unfortunately, see this don't you?

Dr.

Belser> Me?

Yes, yes I do.

I see it driving along the roads too, especially this time of year.

Dr.

Nelson> Me too.

And I'd kind of like to add, that this stuff although it's really pretty to grow, and then forget and it keeps growing.

It's still offered on the market.

<Oh absolutely.> You can buy it.

Right, but this stuff, it's like prize up in New England.

They love to grow this stuff, because it's not real terrible up there.

But down here, it's really an awful plant, it should never be purposefully planted.

No.

Amanda> Yeah.

Anyway, <Oh well.> it's beautiful, but not something you want.

So, ask people please to, if you have it, and you can, eliminate it from your property.

Stephanie> Yeah, sooner than later.

Sooner than later because it just gets harder and harder to deal with.

Yeah.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Alrighty, Well, I didn't mean to interrupt the flow of questions, but I just did want to remind people not to plant that.

Please, please, please, please, please.

Dr.

Nelson> It did seem pretty solemn there for a minute.

[laughter] Amanda> Well, I'm sorry.

Terasa> Are you ready for another question?

<Of course.> We're going to go to McCormick.

Sarah, there, said "What are some pretty plants that are also edible that I could put in my yard or in containers?"

<Well> Got a lot of requirements there.

Pretty, edible, in the yard, or a container.

[laughter] Amanda> Well, let's think of a few, Stephanie.

Stephanie> There's one that I've been enjoying for the past few years is, ornamental strawberry.

And it has a beautiful bright pink flower.

And it's perennial, and it loves, it loves container growing or it makes a good groundcover as well.

And it doesn't have, you know, grocery store sized strawberries, but, you know, that is a kind of fun- It does have edible strawberries, and they're sweet and they're small.

And, so that's a kind of fun option.

And you can even do those like in hanging baskets or something.

And so, you know, the plants will trail out.

And then of course, a lot of herbs are really attractive.

And there's a few perennial ones that are really good, like rosemary.

You can get trailing types or upright types.

Amanda> I have a trailing one and it's planted on a curb.

And there's a slope, and it's just wonderful.

And loved by bees.

Stephanie> Oh, the flowers?

Yeah, the pollinators love the flowers.

And, chives is another perennial herb that I just love too.

I just think their little flowers look like little, you know, from, Truffula Trees like a Dr.

Seuss, you know- [laughter] They're so cute in the springtime and perennial and so it keeps coming back for you.

So that's a good container or landscape, even item too.

Amanda> Okay, well, thanks for those ideas.

So you can graze.

I'm a grazer, I like to graze.

Okay.

Isn't this a pretty hat?

I declare, I think it is.

So this one has... redbud.

And I just love redbud, because I like to do arrangements with sticks.

And redbud at every node decides to take a turn.

So it's, you know, it's not straight.

Nobody wants a straight stick.

A straight stick and flowers is very boring.

And, anyway.

And then oakleaf hydrangea.

I think everyone should have oakleaf hydrangea.

It takes part shade, so it just brightens those areas.

The flowers stay on.

Look at these gorgeous new little leaves.

Aren't they just the most beautiful green you have ever seen?

And the flowers persist through the winter, and I think are quite attractive.

And, it's just carefree.

Gosh, I just think, what an incredible native plant.

And then, I also have some Scilla, which is a bulb that just, profusely multiplies, and I think it's just lovely to see.

So I thought it was kind of a nice color combination.

<Oh, yeah.> But redbud, why in the name they call it redbud I have no idea?

Terasa> It's more like pink or magenta isn't it?

Amanda> It's pink!

Yeah, yeah.

Dr.

Nelson> Sometimes white.

Terasa> There is white.

Amanda> Well anyway, well, it's not red.

Dr.

Nelson> It's not red, red.

It's not red, red.

Amanda> It's not red, period.

[laughter] It's just not red.

Anyway... Red Maples are- Anyway, yeah, this time of year is fun.

Do you think there's still people who would like some help with something?

Terasa> Absolutely.

We're going to take a question from Rachel in Bluffton who said, "What should I do if I find an abandoned fawn in my yard?"

Amanda> Whoa.

That's one that someone perhaps thinks is abandoned, Emily.

Dr.

Belser> Yeah, very likely it's not abandoned at all.

It's actually, a survival strategy that Whitetails will use.

So the does will, if she has twins or even triplets, she'll place them separately.

And so you'll have a fawn on its own and it looks like it's been abandoned because it's by itself.

But when they're so young, they don't have quite the mobility to run away from predators.

So they lay very still and wait for the doe to come back to find it for feeding, and she may move it at times.

And so it's very important that you leave the fawn as it is, because more than likely, the mom is coming right back to get it.

Amanda> Sadly, sometimes deer, hide... in fields with crops in them and... have run-ins with farm machinery sometimes.

And that's upsetting.

I mean, not only do they run into, people hit them on the road, but sometimes, sadly, have encounters with farm equipment.

Dr.

Belser> They do sometimes, yeah, unfortunately.

That does happen.

Amanda> Well, there's just no place for them anymore.

Except, thank you for your wonderful work.

Trying to help people put property in easements so that it will be protected and there will be a place for the deer.

<Yes, that's right.> Thank you.

And thank you to the people who have the foresight and love of our state to do that.

Okay, well.

Terasa> Another question?

How about, we try some show and tell?

Dr.

John always has amazing things to show.

And we talk about Prunus species, and this is one that I hadn't really, had much experience with, I think he's going to tell us a little bit about hog plum.

Dr.

Nelson> Hog plum.

[oinks] [laughter] So, very recently, while it was still chilly, I... you know I've been, like, spending a good bit of time in Orangeburg County.

And I was down there, south side of Orangeburg.

And I stopped along the road because there's a wonderful view of a hog plum plant.

And I want to share my thoughts about hog plum.

That it is a member of the Rose family, as are all plums and cherries.

<Alright> And, it generally comes up as a small tree or a large shrub.

It's taller than our Chickasaw plum, but it has, the trunks tend to be a little bit bigger than Chickasaw plum also.

And it's still sort of shiny black with a lot of gushy stuff on them sometimes.

Yeah, I don't know.

But anyway... sometimes their stems are kind of thorny.

So if you're ever going to play with hog plum, you got to be pretty careful.

But the flowers in the spring are wonderful.

And they, to me they smell like honey.

Very sweet.

And the bees love them, on a nice warm day.

Amanda> And I picked some on the way over- for you to tell me what it was.

Dr.

Nelson> I didn't know you were going to bring this in, but here's some right here.

Amanda> All tangled up, see I told you Wisteria is- Dr.

Nelson> It's lasting until now.

And it's, you know, it's toward the end of blooming.

Amanda> It's lovely.

And then when it does go into fruit, it will make wonderful, I think they're wonderful, plums.

That's why they call it, I guess the hogs like them too.

But they have a big ol', you know, pit in there.

<Sure> And then the color is one of the nice things about the fruits.

So, they're sort of gunmetal blue, kind of attractive.

<Pretty> And you can pick those things.

Now, I've never picked them, other than just to chew on a few on a field trip, but some people will make, you know, jelly and stuff out of them.

To me, they're a little bit sour, but still kind of fun to eat.

<Yeah, yeah.> Hog plum.

Amanda> Well, and as you know, there's a lot of it on the trip, on the road that I take you know, I wasn't real sure what it was- Dr.

Nelson> A small tree.

<Yeah, yeah, yeah.> And the scientific name is Prunus.

Of course, all the plums belong to the genus Prunus.

And this one is called Prunus umbellata.

Amanda> Umbellata, okay.

Where does umbellata come from?

Dr.

Nelson> The flowers are in little clusters.

Amanda> Okay, okay, okay.

It's nice that nature provided these things for us, and for animals, yeah.

Dr.

Nelson> I love being a botanist.

Amanda> We can tell.

Thanks.

Okay.

Terasa, what do we have coming up?

Terasa> Well, we're going to veer off from questions.

Stephanie's got a creative way to teach kids or teach youth about plant parts.

Amanda> Okay.

Plant parts, gracious goodness.

Well, let's learn about plant parts in a way that we can talk to children about.

Stephanie> Yeah, so every year, in McCormick County, our agents over there have farm day.

And so all the third graders in McCormick County come to de la Howe.

Amanda> Whoa!

The Governor's School for Agriculture, yes.

Stephanie> And they have little stations set up for different areas of agriculture, beekeeping, and equine, and they have the horse they can visit, and the forestry agents.

Well, they have the horticulture table.

And so, we talk about parts of the plant because that is in the third grade science curriculum.

And so we bring veggies and we talk about the parts of the plant and we talk about, you know, if we're eating carrots, what part of the plant are you eating there.

You know, and they talk about, "do they like carrots?"

"Do they eat them?

Are you eating the root?"

Right?

<Okay> And the, of course, the Irish Potato always throws everybody off because that's under the ground and we think that's a root, right?

And it's actually a modified stem.

And so, they like to talk about that.

And they don't even realize when they're eating broccoli, they're eating flowers.

Amanda> If they're eating broccoli.

Stephanie> Yes.

Well, some of them do.

It's fun to see which vegetables they enjoy, [laughter] and so forth.

And then we talk about, you know, all of these structures that hold seed in it, you know, are fruits.

So we talk about cucumbers and tomatoes and things like that.

And onion, you know, we're eating leaves and so forth, stems of celery.

But there's a fun little song that we sing with them.

And inevitably, the teachers come back and tell me they sang it all the way, on the bus ride back.

But, if you're familiar with the Addams Family .

Yeah.

[laughter] Da, da, da, da, dah.

[snaps twice] Yeah, yeah.

So you do parts of the plant with the Addams Family.

And you do... ♪ Parts of the plant ♪ [snaps twice] ♪ Parts of the plant ♪ [snaps twice] ♪ Parts of the plant, Parts of the plant ♪ ♪ Parts of the plant ♪ [snaps twice] And then we talk and then we point to their body and talk about the parts of the plant going up from the roots all the way to the flowers, roots, and the seeds.

So we say ♪ the roots, the stems, the leaves ♪ the flowers, fruits and seeds, all good things that we eat ♪ These are the parts of the plant ♪ [snaps twice] [laughter] Amanda> Who came up with that?

Stephanie> I saw it somewhere online.

We've used it for years now.

[kids singing] And it is a highlight actually, of my spring.

And sometimes my Master Gardeners will go out there and do that with them too.

Amanda> I'm sure everybody loves to go out there and see third graders.

They're still sweet in third grade.

[laughter] Terasa> Songs can be so powerful and the kids really remember them.

So everyone learns differently.

Songs stick in my head too, and, I shared with Stephanie before we started the show that when I was doing water quality work and visiting schools, we would talk about the water cycle, do a demonstration.

And there's a water cycle song as well.

So it's to the tune of "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain" So it's... ♪ Water travels in a cycle ♪ ♪ Yes it does ♪ ♪ Water travels in a cycle Yes it does ♪ ♪ It goes up as evaporation Forms clouds as condensation ♪ ♪ Comes down as precipitation ♪ ♪ Yes it does ♪ [laughter] So you can thank both of us when you go home this evening, because you'll be singing both of those songs.

Amanda> I wonder how long the bus trip is back to McCormick?

[laughter continues] That's a lot of fun.

Thank you.

Thank y'all for going up there to that wonderful place.

Stephanie> We have a great time with those kids.

Amanda> I'm sure you do.

Okay.

Thanks so much.

Well, Terasa?

Terasa> I just want to sing ♪ Parts of the plant ♪ [snaps twice] [laughter] It'd be hard to get back to business here.

Let's see.

Tony in Lake City.

So, southern end of Florence County.

"I have a hard time getting soybeans to maturity in the food plots on my hunting property.

Should I try planting something different this year?"

Amanda> Well, Emily, I think that, deer enjoy soybeans, don't they?

Dr.

Belser> Absolutely.

And that's probably why he's planting it on the property.

So if he's having a hard time getting them to grow taller, it could be a multitude of issues.

But the first, the easiest way to figure out if it's an over browsing issue so if the deer just eating them before they can grow, or maybe if it's a different issue like soil quality, something like that is to build an exclusion cage.

And it doesn't have to be very big.

You just make a little circle out of chicken wire and some T-post.

And so after you plant your food plot, you put that in the ground or within your food plot.

And then once those plants start to grow, you can compare what's growing within that cage.

Amanda> Do you have to cover it or?

Dr.

Belser> No, you don't have to make it very... maybe like a yard in diameter.

Maybe three to four feet tall, however tall, you know, wide your chicken wire is.

And so you can compare what's growing within the cage and what's growing outside of the cage.

And if there's a large difference, then, you know, you probably have too many deer eating in that food plot.

And there's a lot of different ways to address that.

You know, your food plot might be too small.

So you might need to make it bigger.

It might be an overabundance of deer.

What is your native habitat look like?

So are you, do you have plenty of native forage for those deer to be eating?

There's a lot of different ways to address that question.

Amanda> Well, that was a great answer.

Thank you so much.

Terasa?

Terasa> Try to get in another question.

Ted in Camden has a mystery.

He said, "A wildflower I saw near Georgetown was very peculiar.

What is this thing?"

And sent us a photograph.

Amanda> Okay, Dr John?

Dr.

Nelson> A beautiful plant.

I have seen this, but I'm afraid it's getting to be kind of rare.

And it's a little plant in the sunflower family.

And it's called Sunbonnets.

Amanda> That's sweet.

Dr.

Nelson> And it's a little perennial plant that grows on the ground, low on the ground.

And it'll start making, a blossom, the end of a peduncle.

And it's bent over.

And as it gets older and older, it'll straighten itself out.

It's a Sunbonnet.

<Okay> And they're wonderful.

Amanda> Sunbonnet.

Dr.

Nelson> Sunflower family.

Amanda> Sunflower family.

So it has great big numbers and little teeny-tiny numbers as well.

<Yeah> Okay.

Thank you so much.

Well, let's now visit with Tony Mills and have a wonderful program about snakes.

Amanda> We have a very exciting guest today.

I'm just thrilled beyond belief.

Tony Mills, you are a naturalist with the Spring Island Trust, and you also have a terrific show that people can watch on SCETV.

Tony> Yeah.

Coastal Kingdom .

Amanda> Yeah.

Yeah.

And what's a more fascinating ecosystem than our marshes and our oceans?

And all the interactions between them.

Tony> The Lowcountry of South Carolina is awesome.

Amanda> It sure is.

Tony> It really is.

Amanda> Yeah.

We just live in a great state.

And then if you're not, if you're not interested in that, you can just go to the mountains.

Tony> That's right.

Amanda> So much variety.

And so at the Spring Island Trust, y'all have, do a lot of research, I believe.

Tony> So we do a lot of education, but we also do some research as well.

And so what we want people to realize is where they live is really special.

So we figure if people understand where they are and understand how special it is, they're going to take better care of it.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

And, not react with horror and think everything needs to be killed when you run into it.

Tony> Snakes, like we were talking about today.

Amanda> Yeah.

Well, let's talk some about snakes.

And, they're venomous.

You don't say poisonous, right?

Tony> Right, and very few of them are venomous.

So out of the 38 species we have in South Carolina, only six are venomous.

Amanda> And a couple of those are all rattlesnakes.

Tony> Right.

Three rattlesnake species.

Amanda> Yeah.

Tony> But, but yeah.

So most of the snakes you run into are completely harmless.

Amanda> And they are doing a wonderful job.

A lot of them eat rats and I mean some of them eat small toads and things like that.

But I mean, they're just, you know, finding their food in the environment.

Tony> Exactly.

And they're and they're good indicators of environmental health.

So if the snakes all went away, that'd be horrible.

It would mean that really bad things are happening.

Amanda> Yeah.

Well, let's hope that, there are a lot of snakes in people's backyards, and they just leave them alone.

Well, who should we start with?

Tony> So let's start with this one.

I kind of have to feel the bag to tell- Amanda> -which Tony>I think I know what this is (laughing) But this is one that might surprise you.

And this is one that, I'll bet you recognize is not even a snake.

Amanda> Yeah.

Yeah I do.

Yeah.

Tony> So glass lizard or legless lizard, and it's a lizard.

It's a lizard.

I mean, it just doesn't have legs, so it really confuses people.

But the way, you know, it's a lizard.

It has external ear openings, little holes right there.

<Oh> And also it has eyelids so it can shut its eyes.

Amanda> Oh, wow!

Tony> And that'll, That's a giveaway for sure.

The other thing is the tail starts right here.

And this is missing a big portion of the tail.

Amanda> Sometimes, they really do lose their tail.

Tony> They do.

And then they can regenerate it.

So, you know, that's a dead give away too- Amanda> So, if it gets somebody tries to catch him, the tail can snap off and then it doesn't get it eaten.

Tony> Right.

Exactly.

Yeah, the front half the lizard can crawl away.

A predator can eat the tail.

And, but, you don't, they don't want to lose a tail.

I mean, the tail- Amanda> Well, that's a lot of work to grow all... So what does this one eat?

Tony> So they eat mostly insects, so they're going to eat things like crickets and grasshoppers and things like that.

But not a snake.

But boy, do an awful lot of people think it is a snake.

So when they see this, you know- Amanda> -They should go (gasps) Tony> Unfortunately they, you know, people kill these and that's a real shame.

We talk about doing good things in the garden.

Right?

Or in your yard?

Amanda> Beautiful coloration on its head too isn't it?

Tony> They look they've got a very interesting sheen to them.

They look like they're plastic or something.

Yeah, they don't they don't look real in a lot of ways.

Amanda> They're truly lovely.

And, so where do they lay their eggs and things like that?

Tony> So they'll lay their eggs underground kind of in a rodent burrow or they love sandy areas.

So they're going to kind of go underground, lay the eggs.

And of course the little lizard babies are only about this long and it may take them, you know, a couple of years to reach adult size.

Amanda> This is a nice one.

Tony> This particular one's called an eastern glass lizard.

We actually have several species in our state.

So not a snake, but close.

All snakes have to protect themselves.

And this is a good example of that.

This is one called a hognose snake.

And it's got that wonderful upturned nose.

And... did you remember what these do to protect themselves?

Amanda> Yeah.

They play dead.

So if you if you catch a hognose snake.

Or if you see a hognose snake and encounter it, first thing it may do... Let me see if this one will do this.

Amanda> You said he's real used to people.

Tony> Yeah, this one has been in captivity for a long time.

Now, some of these snakes I caught.

This one has been... There we go.

It's kind of spreading its head like a cobra.

Amanda> Yeah.

Trying to look... Tony> Obviously it's not trying to look like a cobra.

We don't have cobras here, but it may make it look bigger.

Amanda> Yeah.

Tony> But, but what you were referring to is if you continue to bother it, the next thing it would do throw up a toad if it's- Amanda> Ohhh!

Nobody wants to have vomit, snake vomit all over them.

Tony> Right, throws up, and then it will turn over, hang its tongue out and end up upside down and it looks dead.

Amanda> But if you go and try to turn it over again, it's just going to turn dead.

Tony>...and if you try to make it look alive again, it's going to flip over and play dead again.

Amanda> They are really, really fun, and I think do they have some tiny bit of venom in back- Tony> They do.

Yeah.

So the back teeth are enlarged and they use that for two things.

One is to pop toads, you know, toads, when toads get you know, when they get attacked they'll puff their bodies up with air.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah!

Tony> So this is an animal that can actually punch a hole in the toad and let the air out.

And then it can swallow it.

Otherwise, it's too big to swallow.

But the other thing is those same teeth have some a toxin to them.

And it's, it's not really dangerous to people but it, it probably- Amanda>-helps it.

Tony> Yeah, it probably helps it in some way.

But it is potentially if you got bit by one of these and these typically don't bite at all.

But if they did it probably would cause a reaction, a mild reaction.

So, but I this is one of my absolute favorites.

Amanda> And I don't think I mean I've heard of people catching snakes and they've never had any trouble with it.

Tony> Oh yeah.

And like I said they almost never bite.

Amanda> Yeah.

Tony> The other thing that's interesting about this species is they can be solid jet black, melanistic like this, or they can have these real bright, vivid oranges and yellows and blacks.

So they, they, they vary depending on where you find them.

So this is another really common one.

This is called a rat snake.

And talk about can you smell that?

Amanda> Hmmm.

Tony> Yeah.

It's, it's got a rather pungent odor.

(laughing) Tony> It's got a... so a lot of snakes will exude kind of a musky scent.

And these actually have scent glands.

And so what they... Oh look at that.

Amanda> Oh, dang.

That's wonderful.

Tony> So, try to get bit by this one but obviously non-venomous.

But anyway if they get, get kind of mad what they'll do is exude that musk.

Amanda> Yeah!

Tony> It's really pungent.

Probably deters all kinds of predators.

And then it's important to realize that even non-venomous snakes like this rat snake will bite sometimes.

Amanda> Sure.

Tony> And they look fierce, but that doesn't mean they're dangerous.

And it doesn't mean they should be killed.

Amanda> It'd be nice to have them in your attic.

Tony> Oh, yeah.

They're great climbers.

And this is.

Amanda> I've seen them just go up a concrete wall.

Tony> Unbelievable athletes.

Amanda> I don't know how they do it.

Tony> And the other thing is they eat mice and rats.

So.

And in some cases, the really big ones, because these get six feet, six feet long or so, can eat squirrels.

Amanda> Wow!

Tony>...and squirrels can be kind of pesky too.

Amanda> They're pesky in the attic too.

But I mean, they're good to have in the attic- Tony> They are, and one of the things that's interesting about this, like where we are on the coast... <Yes> They're striped and greenish or yellowish, but if you go in the upstate, they're black.

Same snake.

Amanda> You think... Tony> Black rat snake... Amanda> because the ecology up there that it's easier to blend- Tony> I don't think we really know.

But if you move from the coast up towards the mountains... Yeah, they start to get darker.

So they're grayish in certain parts of the state.

And then like I said, on the coast, this one is being amazingly good.

Amanda> Where did you find him?

Tony> This is one I caught, underneath a piece... so it's part of my research underneath the piece of tin, Amanda> Yeah.

Tony> Under a covered board object that we use for our research.

And this is.... one of the things we do with these snakes is we inject a P.I.T.

tag, a passive integrated transponder, which is like what you put in your dog and so... Amanda> You can put it in the snake?

Tony> You can put it in the snake, insert it in the body, and then you know who that snake is.

Rat snake is very common.

This one may be even more common.

And I think this one's probably going to come right out of the bag.

And so this is... that was interesting the way it came out of the bag.

Amanda> Isn't that something.

Tony> That's what they do.

So if you see one of these in your yard, it may well move around with its head up.

Almost like it's, see how it's got it's head up a little bit?

Amanda> Look at that.

It gets a better view.

Tony> Yeah.

They're very visual predators.

So this is one that's going to eat small mammals.

It's going to eat a lot of lizards.

And it's going to just patrol around with its head up.

It's called a black racer.

And this is, as I said, super common.

Now they're feisty.

So if you pick up a black racer, I can't believe how nice this one is Amanda> It's behaving right now.

but...now is he used to you?

Tony> No.

This one, I caught it yesterday.

Amanda> Oh.

Whoa.

He's a new one.

Tony> So this is one that was- Amanda> My goodness.

Tony> This is another one, I checked to see if it had a P.I.T.

tag in it, but this is not characteristic.

This may be the nicest black racer I've ever met.

Amanda> Hey fella, glad you came to see us.

Tony> Normally they're- (laughing) Tony> Yeah, they're, but again, that's, that's, that aggression is protection.

There's a big difference.

This isn't, doesn't want to have anything to do with a person.

Amanda> Now sometimes people hold them behind the head.

Is that correct?

Tony> Yeah.

Amanda> That can keep them from biting you if they were so inclined?

Tony> Yeah.

And I think if you want to move a snake, there's, there's all sorts of things you can do.

Like you could take a you know, a rake or something to pick it up carefully and keep your hands away from it.

I guess the first thing is you got to know what you're looking at.

Because if you if you pick up a venomous snake, it's extremely dangerous.

So what you want to do is learn to identify the snakes first.

And it's not that hard, learn the six venomous snakes.

Like I said, they're only six in the whole state.

As long as you know those, Amanda> And most of them look very different.

They're very different from this one.

Tony> Right.

Amanda> We had a rattlesnake in the yard a couple of years ago, and everybody was, "Oh", and I said, "It's not going to stay here."

Tony> Yeah, they're moving.

A lot of times they're moving through.

But anyway, these get big.

So you know we've seen these up to five feet long, very fast.

Amanda> And you know people used to have all kinds of strange names like coachwhips and things.

Tony> Yeah.

So the coachwhip snake, is another one we have in the state, pretty uncommon to see.

But that's got that great myth.

So coachwhip snakes as you know supposedly would chase you down and then they would whip you to death with their tail.

And then I've even heard people say they use the tip of their tail to see if you're still breathing, I guess once they've whipped you.

But the story gets really ridiculous.

In reality, coachwhip snakes will thrash if you pick one up and they're very fast and I think they look like a braided whip.

I mean, the tail looks like a whip.

I'm sure that's where the myth came from.

Amanda> Very handsome.

Tony> But notice very visual animal.

And you can tell that it's fast and athletic- Amanda> -to keep it's head up to look at things.

Tony> Yeah, I've seen them just sitting with just a head up like a periscope above the grass.

Amanda> Do they have a good sense of smell?

Tony> Yeah, so... Amanda> -receptors that give... Tony> It's very much like a sense of smell.

So that tongue is going out in the air picking up little chemical signals, transferring them to the roof of the mouth to the Jacobson's organ.

And it's highly specialized.

And so this animal can tell has a mouse crawled by, is there a lizard nearby?

Most importantly... she didn't do anything.

The important thing is to not panic, right?

Amanda> Yeah.

Tony> But anyway, I'm going to hold him behind the head from now, like you suggested earlier.

So we looked at the rat snake.

There's a cousin of that called a corn snake.

And so this is much prettier.

Amanda> Just beautiful.

Yeah.

Tony> So that's one that is the same genus.

Pantherophis, as the rat snake, but it's guttatus, it's a different species, Amanda> Isn't he just gorgeous?

Tony> Some people call this a red rat snake because, and they are gorgeous.

The ones in the Lowcountry of South Carolina are beautiful, Some of them are even brighter and more vivid than that.

Amanda> It is truly spectacular.

Tony> Fabulous belly, that wonderful checkerboard belly.

Amanda> Look at this.

I think that is just... And they very, very, very seldom bite.

Although it did get a little... Tony> Every now and then, and again any non-venomous snake may, may bite you just to protect itself.

Amanda> And I had it...wrapped around my neck for a while.

Tony> Yeah.

Just keep it away from your eyes.

Amanda> Okay, well, put it like that.

Yeah.

Tony> So this is one that it's just a I think this is one of the prettiest snakes in the world.

Amanda> Truly beautiful.

Yeah, and on both sides.

Tony> And...they're beneficial.

Amanda> Yeah, up and down.

Yeah, yeah.

Tony> So... Amanda> Eating what?

Tony> So these eat primarily mice and rats.

So as they get bigger, they can- Amanda> Another great thing.

Tony> Oh for sure.

Now some snakes like that racer will eat almost anything.

They'll eat other snakes.

They'll eat birds.

They'll eat, lizards.

Just about anything they can run down.

This one's a little more specialized.

And the other thing is the little guys will eat, tree frogs and lizards and then graduate up to mice and rats.

Amanda> Good because I don't want the tree frogs...<Yeah> Tony> Yeah, exactly.

But they got to you know, it's hard to find a mouse small enough for, a baby snake to eat.

Amanda> That's true Yeah, yeah, yeah, Tony> I think, let's talk snake protection again.

Amanda> Okay, Tony> Obviously this is not a... (laughing) This is not a real one.

This is well, you know, what this one is...coral snake.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Red and yellow, kill a fellow Tony> So this is a venomous species.

It is not very common in the state, although, coastal South Carolina, you know, places like Lady's Island and some of the areas- Amanda> Near where you are.

Tony> Near where we are they're not on Spring Island, but they're just spotty.

But where they are, there can be lots of them.

And so, it is a very venomous snake.

In fact, five of our six snakes are pit vipers.

Amanda> Pit vipers.

Tony> This is basically a cobra.

It's an Elapidae.

And Elapidae is a family that includes kraits and cobras and coral snakes.

And so, this would be a big one.

Normally they're smaller than this, but they have they don't have that big triangular shaped head like a pit viper would.

But what's important to realize is we also have one that looks like it that's completely harmless.

And this is the scarlet kingsnake.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Tony> And so they really, side by side or at least- Amanda> They're different, and they're different from individuals to individuals.

Tony> Exactly, exactly.

And I wish I had a real coral snake to show you.

We'd be handling it slightly differently.

But, so one of the best ways to protect yourself is to either be dangerous or to look like something that is, In this case, here's a mimic.

And, you know, there's everybody's heard that rhyme red and yellow kill a fellow red and black friend of Jack.

And that would be... so this would be the, this would be the red and yellow one.

But I always say, if you have to remember the rhyme, you probably shouldn't be picking up the snake.

Amanda> I've heard that, of people who get bitten by a snake, about 85% of them knew the snake was there, and they very frequently were messing with the snake.

I mean, duh.

Tony>...and many more males than females I don't know what that means.

But it's definitely true.

This is one that I've worked with a bunch.

And kingsnakes, their numbers have declined drastically throughout much of their range.

The question is why?

Is it habitat destruction?

Is it fungal disease that snakes can get?

You know, we don't really know for sure.

But one thing's for sure we don't want to lose kingsnakes.

And first of all, they're magnificent.

Amanda> Boy.

Handsome, handsome- Tony> We, have to really keep these two apart because, this would eat that.

You're fine, where you are, but I just mean if I get.

Amanda> Hey guy!

Tony> -if I reach over towards you, stop me.

And this one right away is already tongue flicking.

He's like, I smell racer, I smell rat snake.

I smell a corn snake- Amanda> It's not my perfume.

Tony> -because this is a snake eater.

This is a snake that eats... Can kill and eat pretty much any snake, it runs across, including venomous species.

<Yes> So copperheads, rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, the famous water moccasin.

It will kill them and eat them.

And we... I think you were telling me a story earlier about- Amanda> Yeah.

My husband was riding his bicycle around, and saw this fight, and he watched it for about a half an hour and finally it was just a draw.

Tony> It may have been a little too big for it to swallow.

Amanda> Yeah, Tony> But they're constrictors.

So what they'll do is grab another snake, and then they wrap it up with real tight little coils, and then they wait until it's dead.

It suffocates.

Takes a long time, actually, and then they'll swallow it whole.

Amanda> Gosh.

And they can swallow a fairly large snake.

Tony> This could eat a full grown copperhead, no problem.

Remember, snakes have the ability to stretch their neck and the mouth a great deal.

And so this could... And I've even seen snake, kingsnakes swallow slender snakes like green snakes and ribbon snakes that were longer than themselves.

Amanda> Wow.

Tony> So they can, what they can do is kind of pack it in the, pack it in the body, but... this is a special one for sure.

And again, you really have to be careful when you lose species like this.

So if you, any species of animal, if we lose it, you got to wonder what kind of effect this is going to have on other animals and why is it happening?

Amanda> So they're indicator species?

Tony> They really are.

So if your, if your snakes are all gone, just like, you know, other things like sharks and big, you know, certain big fish species, that's a really bad sign for the environment.

Amanda> For the ecology...Yeah.

Tony> So one of the things that I've been doing is doing some research with this species and actually working with these little guys, Amanda> Uh huh!

Tony> And so here's a little junior king snake that was just hatched out.

Amanda> Okay.

Tony> And so this is, this is what we're doing with these is releasing babies.

Of course, we have permits and everything to do this.

And what we're doing is just seeing if we can kind of augment populations.

In other words, if king snakes are not in an area, well, if they are there, can we add to the king snakes that are already there?

Amanda>Well, I'm standing up and moving back just a little bit because I think we're going to see a venomous snake.

Tony> Yeah.

So this is one of the most common venomous snakes.

In fact, I think it is the most common venomous snake that we have in the state.

And I've got a bucket here and I'm going to reach down and just pick it up on the stick.

Amanda> Oh it's beautiful.

Tony> Oh, they are...they are one of the prettiest snakes of all.

And this is, this of course is the copperhead.

It's a pit viper and big wedge shaped head.

Amanda> Yeah.

Tony> And chunky body too.

So in general, non-venomous snakes here are long and slender.

And the pit vipers are much, much chunkier for sure.

Now, the problem with that is we have some water snakes and some other things, hognose snakes that are chunky as well.

So, it's not always a venomous snake, but boy, that head is characteristic, for sure.

Now, this is one that's interesting because as a baby, the babies are only about this big, but they have a bright yellow tail tip.

In fact, it looks like the tip was painted with a- Amanda> A sharpie or something.

Tony> Or fluorescent marker or something.

And that is something they use called a caudal lure.

And so what they'll do is take that tail, kind of wiggle it, and it looks like a little worm or something, and frogs and other things will come in... I guess I better control, watch this snake for a minute, see if I can get a better.

There we go.

So it will... Amanda> Uh, oh!

Tony> Okay.

Not good.

Hold on just a minute.

Sorry, guys.

There we go.

Amanda> Okay.

Tony> So it can move that tail, and when it does, it looks like a little worm or something, or a frog or a lizard comes to investigate, they bite it, and they envenomate it, and then they swallow it.

Now, one of the things that's true about copperheads, this is probably the least dangerous venomous snake in the United States.

It's certainly one of them.

But that doesn't mean it's not serious to get bit by one.

So you don't want to get bit, for sure.

But as far as I know, no one has ever died from the bite of a copperhead.

But that doesn't mean you don't need medical attention.

Amanda> Yes, I would certainly- Tony> In the past, you know, there are all these stories about people, you know, slicing, you know, cutting it open and sucking the venom out.

None of that, you just want to get to a hospital, and let a professional, medical professional deal with it.

Amanda> Well, I just want to thank you so much.

I don't know when I've had such a good time.

And I hope you'll let me come down and visit you in the Lowcountry.

Tony> Well, I... certainly appreciate being here.

This was great.

Amanda> Okay.

Thanks so much.

We hope Tony will come back soon.

He just has a wonderful, array of knowledge about nature, which is, never ends.

It's fun.

Well, this is a native plant.

We have Asian Azaleas, and that's what everybody thinks about.

Now, they used to be the great big Formosa ones and now they're all kinds of different ones and all.

But, this is a native Azalea, and I just think they're the prettiest things in the world.

And they're a little more tree form.

I mean, they don't get that big, but- Well, actually, some of them get moderate, but it's just the loveliest airiest plant in the world.

And, the flowers are stunningly beautiful and, visited by pollinators.

And it... then puts leaves on it and mines its place in the garden.

But it's, it's airy, it grows up and spreads out.

It's just wonderful.

Anyway.

Well, thank you, thank you, thank you Stephanie, Emily, Dr.

John, Dr.

Stephanie.

Anyway, thank y'all so much.

And thank you at home for being with us.

Hope you can join us next week.

Night night.

♪ ♪ ♪ Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.