During the coldest part of our year, the salt marsh may appear to be dormant, but looks are deceiving. Though relatively frigid water temperatures in the shallow and narrow creeks have driven most fish, crabs and shrimp into the ocean or into cozy burrows in the pluff mud, there remains a subtle, yet dynamic, transformation… Read More…

A sense of calm pervades the salt marsh and the beach. Shorter days and cooler temperatures foretell the arrival of winter. Whether you call Hilton Head Island home – or some far away place – everywhere surrenders to seasonal changes. The dolphin population has thinned – migrants have moved out and are likely cruising the… Read More…

The subtle shift from late summer to autumn, in the salt marsh, may go unrecognized by all but the most ardent observer. But, like every other season, there is much to witness. An environment that constantly transforms, the Lowcountry tidal salt marshes are dynamic. Populations of dolphin shift, migrating birds return, fishing strategies change and… Read More…

Growing up in northern Ohio, I learned to recognize the change of season by looking at the trees. Okay, the temperature was an indication, but the most obvious pronouncement of the arrival of fall was the colorful display of leaves gracing the limbs before falling gracefully to the ground. Here in the Lowcountry, especially along… Read More…

A saltmarsh is said to produce nearly 10 times the bio-mass (read: Food) of the most fertile agricultural soils. It is for this reason that the diversity of animal life in the saltmarsh is so great. At any given time – high tide or low tide, dusk or dawn, mid-tide or midday – you can… Read More…

By Capt. Patte Ranney, Master Naturalist, Outside Hilton Head Surrounded by a mostly evergreen maritime forest, the salt marsh reveals the arrival of spring in very subtle ways. As each day gets longer and warmer, we witness a transformation in both the plants and animals that fill the salt marsh eco-system. Looking across the broad… Read More…

Hilton Head Island’s network of sand dunes along the beach help protect the local coastline against erosion and flooding. Held together by deeply-rooted plants and grasses, these mounds of sand anchor the coast, providing an important coastal ecosystem. Many years ago, sand dunes along the East Coast were flattened to create smooth, even beaches that… Read More…