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The South is never more vivacious than in its display of nature and wildlife. This is certainly true of Georgia and South Carolina, where you're bound to see dolphins and manatees frolicking on the coasts, palmettos and live oaks living and aging, and mockingbirds flying overhead.
Nature and Wildlife in Georgia and South Carolina
Animals native to the region include the white-tailed deer, the black bear, muskrat, raccoon, opossum, mink, common cottontail, and three different kinds of squirrel. Deer are the most frequently-seen, and they pop up in residential areas often enough.
There are also lots of birds in the region, in fact no less than 160 species, including the mockingbird, the bobwhite quail, the brown thrasher, sparrows, as well as red-cockaded woodpeckers. Bald eagles can occasionally be spotted up in the hills and the swampy areas are home to the sandhill piper, snowy egret, and white ibis.
This area is also home to lots of different kinds of lizards, snakes, and other reptiles. There are, in fact, over 75 different species of scaly creatures! Snakes, some of which are poisonous, include rattlesnakes, eastern indigo snakes, copperheads, and cottonmouth moccasins.
Amphibious creatures are also plentiful and the region is home to over 60 different species, including salamanders, frogs, and toads. Along the coast, sea life includes whales, manatees, dolphins, porpoises, shrimp, oysters, shortnose sturgeon, sharks, and blue crabs.
Wildlife Parks in Georgia and South Carolina
At Cumberland Island National Seashore you'll see plenty of deer, and you may get to see loggerhead turtles, alligators, and pelicans, too. Armadillos are also found on the island, and these critters are pretty unaware of humans.
Farther inland, visitors to the Okefenokee Swamp will bask in sightings of rare and ubiquitous plants and animals. Plants include the pitcher plant and the bladderwort, which are carnivorous, as well as water lilies, paintroot, and maidencane.
Of course you may see alligators in the swamp, and because of this it's a very good idea to enter only with an experienced guide. Additionally, there are over 100 species of birds in the area, including the rare wood stork, red-cockaded woodpecker, and bald eagle.
In the past, Hunting Island, in South Carolina, was prime hunting grounds for the locals. Today, you'll get a chance to see deer, raccoons, diamondback rattlesnakes, alligators, loggerhead turtles, egrets, and herons.
Trees and Plants in South Carolina
The region of Georgia and South Carolina is home to more than 250 species of trees. White and scrub pines, chestnut, northern red oak, and buckeye trees can be found across the mountainous areas in the north, while loblolly, shortleaf pines, and white-back maple trees are abundant in the rolling hills of the piedmont region in central Georgia.
In southern Georgia pecan trees flourish, while in eastern Georgia, white oak and cypress trees are just as plentiful. Trees such as red cedar, scaly-bark, white hickories, red maple, sycamore, yellow poplar, sassafras, sweet and black gums, as well as various dogwood and magnolia trees, are easily found all across Georgia and coastal South Carolina.
Many flowering shrubs, such as yellow jasmine, flowering quince, and mountain laurel, are also abundant in all parts of the Peach State. In the areas along the coast, and in particular in and around Savannah, eerie Spanish moss can be found in abundance among the live oaks.
Of course, palmettos can be seen all along coastal South Carolina.
Georgia and South Carolina serve as habitat for more than 50 different kinds of protected or endangered plants, including hairty rattleweed, Alabama leather flower, smooth coneflower, two species of quillwort, pondberry, Canby's dropwort, harperella, fringed campion, and two species of trillium.
Nature Spots in Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Charleston, South Carolina, Atlanta, Savannah, Georgia
Nature-Wildlife
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