MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Hello SCNPS Lowcountry Chapter members!
We hope you’ve had a great summer and survived the brutal heat we experienced here in the Lowcountry! It is possible to still enjoy the Lowcountry and some of our botanical sights during the summer if you beat the heat and get out and about early. This was exactly my strategy the past few months and I managed to make some forays into some of our natural wild areas around the region. Bear Island and Donnelley Wildlife Management Areas brought the roadside blooms of Swamp Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) and some roosting roseate spoonbills (I’m also a bird nerd!). And mid-summer I ventured out with Jeff Jackson of The Hellhole Naturalist into the Francis Marion National Forest for a guided plant walk filled with acres of blooming Meadowbeauty (Rhexia spp.), pitcher plants (Sarracenia spp.) and a glimpse of a lone Snowy orchid (Platanthera nivea). What a treasure we have in these properties! We hope to have more outings to these areas and others in the year ahead.
If you have any special requests for speakers, topics, outings, or ideas for activities you’d like to see for the Chapter, reach out anytime to lowcountry.president@scnps.org.
Late summer brings the application period for our Chapter’s Native Plant Fall Grant Program. This helps fulfill a critical part of our society’s mission to support projects that promote native plants or invasive species removal. Community organizations, non-profits and schools have the opportunity to apply for up to $1,000 to support these types of projects. Applications can be submitted online and are due September 10th! Requirements for applications, along with important details, can be viewed and downloaded at this link. If you have questions about our grant application process, or want to discuss your potential project with our team, please reach out to Grants Coordinator Matt Johnson at lowcountry.grants@scnps.org.
Despite our summer break in programming, the Board has been busy planning for the Fall season of lectures, field trips, outreach and tabling activities, our annual Fall Native Plant Market on September 27th, and opportunities for volunteer activities. We’ll be rolling out all of the information in this newsletter and next month’s. And you can always find a full schedule of events for our Chapter on the SCNPS website and the Calendar webpage.
Additionally, native plants are taking center stage this Fall at several regional community events. Native Plant Week is being celebrated October 12-18 and Audubon SC is compiling the calendar of events and activities across the state. First up is the second Beneath The Oaks Symposium hosted by Kiawah Conservancy, the Town of Kiawah, and other partners taking place at Kiawah Island on Wednesday, October 15th from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. And take a short road trip October 17-19th for the annual SCNPS State Symposium being hosted by the Grand Strand Chapter!
We are excited to get back in the groove and see all of you at our upcoming events this Fall. Thanks for being a part of our community and for your continued support of the Society and its mission.
Cheers,
Amber Von Harten, President
SCNPS Lowcountry Chapter
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Fall Grant Applications Due Sept 10!
The Lowcountry Chapter of the South Carolina Native Plant Society is pleased to present our Fall 2025 Grants Program.
Purpose: Part of our mission is to promote native plants through planting, outreach, education, and the removal of invasive species. Our Lowcountry Chapter Grants Program gives us the ability to support local projects that align with this mission.
Who Can Apply: Any organization, community group, or school interested in working with native plants in any capacity.
Funding Geography: Eligible projects must be located in Bamberg, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper, or Orangeburg counties.
Grant Award Amount: The maximum grant award is $1,000
Deadline to Apply: September 10, 2025
Application: Apply online using a simple Google Form
Funding Focus: Projects must be directed at protecting, restoring, and/or educating the public or students about native plants or plant communities in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Need some inspiration, here are some suggested areas of focus for our native plant grants:
● Installing (or adding to) a native plant garden or medicinal garden
● Removing exotic and invasive species from a garden, park, or community space
● Green infrastructure projects, including rain gardens, bioswales, stormwater pond buffers, and living shorelines
● Research projects related to native plants or native plant communities
● Native plant projects related to resilience, including restoration of habitats, addressing saltwater intrusion, and reforestation
● Signage, curricula, and other educational materials related to educating the public and/or students about native plants
● Meetings, workshops, and other training programs that educate audiences about native plants
This is not a complete list; if you have ideas for projects not related to the above focus areas, we’d love to hear them!
For full information, see: https://scnps.org/lowcountry-chapter-fall-2025-grants-program/ For inquiries, or for help with your application, please contact Grants Coordinator Matt Johnson at lowcountry.grants@scnps.org
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Don’t miss the annual Fall Native Plant Market brought to you by the Lowcountry Chapter of the SCNPS in partnership with the Town of Mt. Pleasant! This event will be farmers market style with multiple vendors, each with their own check-out. Plant sellers so far include:
🌱Flying Fig Farm
🌱Holy City Plants
🌱Let It Grow
🌱Native Plants To The People
🌱Roots and Shoots Nursery
🌱SC Native Plant Society
📢CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS To volunteer with plant unloading and sale prep the day before (Friday 9/26), or help during the sale (Sat 9/27), please contact Eddie Bernard at edlbernard@aol.com. (Plant sale volunteers may choose either a 10% discount on pre-orders, or a free one-gallon plant, in addition to early shopping the day of the sale.)
Shopping Tips:
👉Admission to the plant sale is free.
👉Bring boxes or a cart or wagon to carry your plants. Volunteers will help you.
👉There are restrooms on site.
👉Plant sale volunteers and current SCNPS members can start shopping early at 8:40.
Pre-Order Info for SCNPS Members (This is for pre-orders for plants for sale by the SCNPS Lowcountry Chapter, not by other plant sellers.)
This is a members-only opportunity! If you are not a current SCNPS member, you must join or renew your membership online before you place your order. Orders must be placed between Sunday 8/31 and Wednesday 9/10.
Place your order by emailing Eddie Bernard at edlbernard@aol.com. Write ‘Fall Native Plant Order’ in the subject line. Include your full name and phone number in the message and (if not you) the name of the person who will be picking up your order. Also please indicate if you plan to pick up on Friday or Saturday.
Plant sale volunteers may choose either a 10% discount on pre-orders, or a free one-gallon plant, in addition to early shopping the day of the sale. Please notify Eddie Bernard of your preference when placing your order.
For each plant ordered, please include: 1) Common and Botanical name of plant (plus variety if applicable), 2) Size of pot, 3) Quantity. VIEW AND DOWNLOAD FULL INFO AND PLANT LIST HERE.
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LECTURE SERIES and FIELD TRIPS
Lectures are typically held the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM, and snacks will be provided during post-lecture socializing (BYO non-alcoholic beverage or water bottle). We will meet in The Citadel’s Duckett Hall Auditorium, 2 Jones Ave, Charleston, SC 29403. This is next door to our 2024 lecture location (Byrd Hall). Enter Duckett Hall from Jones Ave and go up the short steps to the Auditorium on your left. Free parking is available after 5:00 PM in the parking lot south of Richardson Street, accessible from Mims Ave.
Tuesday, September 16, 6:30 pm
Lecture: Barrier Island Wildflowers, Pollinators, and Other Friends
Judy Drew Fairchild, author of Backyard Butterflies of the Lowcountry
Judy Drew Fairchild wrote the book she wished she’d had when her kids were younger, growing up in the lowcountry. Backyard Butterflies of the Lowcountry is a hyper-local guide to the butterflies, their caterpillars, and wildflower friends that grace her barrier island home on Dewees. Judy also produces short videos for a broad audience to showcase the wonder of the natural world. Join us for an engaging presentation to kick off the fall with renewed joy in our own backyards.
Tuesday, October 14, 6:30 pm
Note this is the SECOND Tuesday of October, during SC Native Plant Week
Lecture: Ecological Justice and History for Sustainable Policy Positions
Mika Gadsden, Director of Sustainability, The City of Charleston
Join Mika Gadsden, the City of Charleston’s Director of Sustainability, for an insightful presentation on the proposed E.E. Just Corridor initiative. This bold and innovative project aims to create sustainable, community-centered solutions to address climate resilience and environmental equity in Charleston. Mika will explore the intersection of ecological justice, historical inequities, and policy advocacy, and show how the corridor could serve as a model for inclusive urban planning and environmental stewardship.
Tuesday, November 18, 6:30 pm
Erin Stevens, President & Landscape Architect, Surculus
Erin Stevens is a landscape architect with a devotion to the native plants that make the lowcountry special. She serves on the board of the Nature Based Exchange – an organization committed to bringing native plants to the fore as ecosystem engineers, more than capable of rising to the challenges of our changing landscape. As the founder of Surculus, her designs have been beacons of hope for promoting native plants and making them look absolutely gorgeous in installations across the region.
FIELD TRIPS
NOTE : Registration for field trips will open two weeks prior to the date of the trip.
Saturday, September 20, 10 am to 1 pm
Field Trip: Dewees Island
Leaders: Judy Drew Fairchild & Lori Sheridan Wilson
Meet at Dewees Island Ferry Landing at Isle of Palms Marina, 46 41st Avenue no later than 9:45am to catch the 10 o’clock ferry to Dewees. This is an exclusive tour of the nature center, rice impoundment, and rookery on Dewees Island, accessible only by private ferry. The details of this field trip are still being finalized. We are unable to share logistics such as the passenger capacity of the ferry and the cost up to $50 that the trip may entail. If you are eager to explore this private barrier island environment, welcome Monarch butterflies back to their wintering grounds, and explore the rookery a 15-minute hike from the ferry terminal, join us for this fabulous tour led by Dewees Island Ecologist and Land Manager Lori Sheridan Wilson. Registration will open Saturday, September 6th at this link.
Saturday, October 18, 10 am – 12 noon
Field Trip: Gadsden Creek
Leader: Mika Gadsden, Director of Sustainability, The City of Charleston
Meet at the southernmost parking lot of Brittlebank Park, 185 Lockwood Dr, Charleston, SC 29403
Join us Saturday, October 18, from 10 am to 12 pm for a walking tour of Gadsden Creek, led by the City of Charleston’s Director of Sustainability, Mika Gadsden. For those who may have attended the Gadsden Creek field trip held in the Fall of 2023, this field trip will provide important updates to the conservation efforts by Friends of Gadsden Creek in partnership with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project. In addition to exploring this thriving saltmarsh ecosystem, Mika will give an overview of the history of the surrounding Gadsden Green neighborhood and recent efforts to preserve the Creek as part of the City’s E.E. Just Corridor initiative. Registration is required and will be limited to 20 people. Registration opens two weeks before the event at this link
Saturday, November 16
Field trip to be announced
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Thursday-Sunday, Sept 25-28 at The Charleston Museum
The Hope Summit is an annual conference and festival held in Charleston at the end of September to highlight the challenges facing our community and celebrate the community-driven solutions possible through the dozens of nonprofits, community organizations, schools, and local agencies working to create agency and hope in coastal South Carolina.
Now in its fourth year, The Hope Summit has grown into a 4-day gathering including a two-day conference, a two-day film festival, a community-solutions festival with an arts and creative solutions showcase, and a day of outings and unique Lowcountry experiences.
THS 2025 Conference
Sept 25 – 26
The Conference returns as a two-day intersectional and multi-disciplinary gathering at the Charleston Museum to explore “resilience, regeneration, and the restoration economy.”
THS 2025 Film Festival
Sept 26 – 27
Stories have the power to change the world. At The Hope Summit, we aspire to inspire by showcasing powerful stories about solutions-driven action.
THS 2025 Community Festival
Sept 27
A family-friendly open-air festival featuring nonprofits, sustainable local businesses, workshops, and an Arts & Creative Solutions Showcase.
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SC Native Plant Week is October 12-18
South Carolina Native Plant Week was originally passed by the state legislature in 2017 declaring the third week in October as South Carolina Native Plant Week. Championed by Audubon South Carolina, Native Plant Week consists of events and programs highlighting the importance of native plants in our state as the basis of the food chain that supports insects, birds, and over all biodiversity and ecosystem health. Join area organizations for a celebration of all things native plants during this weeklong celebration that also extends into much of October. See Calendar Event details here.
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Wednesday, October 15 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Beneath the Oaks with Rebecca McMackin- A Lowcountry Symposium on Creating Resilient Living Landscapes
Location: The Sandcastle, 1 Shipwatch Road, Kiawah Island
Cost: $75-$100 Event Details, Pricing, and Registration here
Join the Kiawah Conservancy and presenting sponsor Town of Kiawah Island for Beneath the Oaks: A Lowcountry Symposium on Creating Resilient Living Landscapes. This inspiring day features keynote speaker Rebecca McMackin, a panel of landscape leaders, restoration site visits, breakout sessions, and ends with a poolside networking reception.
WHY ATTEND?
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Learn from experts: Gain valuable knowledge from leading voices in the field of ecology and sustainable gardening.
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Network: Connect with other garden enthusiasts, professionals, and community members who share your passion for resilient landscapes.
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Take action: Leave inspired and equipped with practical strategies to implement in your garden and community projects.
REGISTRATION
Registration is now open. The agenda and detailed information is available on the registration page. Register here
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Save the Date! The statewide symposium brings together SCNPS members from all chapters, and this year, the Grand Strand chapter will be hosting! Throughout the weekend of October 17-19, there will be numerous field trips, presentations, workshops, and opportunities to meet and connect with fellow members.
The majority of events will be held in Murrells Inlet at Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park, with several additional field trips throughout the Grand Strand region.
This year’s theme will be Gentians. In South Carolina, the family Gentianaceae spans a wide range of habitats from the mountains to the coast. Within the Grand Strand region, gentians can be found among riverbanks, salt marshes, and longleaf pine savannas. We are excited to celebrate the unique ecology of these plants and to highlight the conservation issues they face.
More information about the 2025 symposium, including details about accommodations, can be found at scnps.org/symposium2025.
The 2025 symposium will be open to SCNPS members (from any chapter) only. If you are not already a member, please join us today!
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© 2025 South Carolina Native Plant Society. All rights reserved. The South Carolina Native Plant Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to protect and restore native plants and educate our communities. Your contributions are tax deductible.
Our mailing address is: Lowcountry Chapter | PO Box 20798 | Charleston, SC 29413 |
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