 LECTURE: Tuesday, September 16, 6:30 pm Barrier Island Wildflowers, Pollinators, and Other Friends The Citadel’s Duckett Hall Auditorium, 2 Jones Ave, Charleston, SC 29403 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. Light refreshments provided after the meeting. 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.
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 FIELD TRIP: Saturday, September 20, 10 am to 1 pm 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; logistics including the passenger capacity of the ferry and the cost (possibly up to $50) will be shared with registrants. 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. Register at this link. |
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 Lowcountry Fall Native Plant Market! Saturday, September 27 Mount Pleasant Farmers Market, Moultrie Middle School, 645 Coleman Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 Co-sponsored by the Town of Mount Pleasant and SC Native Plant Society, Lowcountry Chapter This event will be farmers market style with these vendors, each with their own check-out: 📢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 a free one-gallon plant in addition to early shopping the day of the sale.) Shopping Tips: |
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 Events of interest from the Coastal Master Naturalists Association:
A Big Sit: Accessible Birding
Saturday, October 4, 2025
8am-4pm
Cost: Entrance to James Island County Park is $2, however there is no fee to join The Big Sit.
How many birds can we identify while staying within a seventeen-foot diameter circle? Join this accessible and inclusive birding event to help answer this question! Birding enthusiasts will be there to help with species identification and information. Drop in for 20 minutes or stick around for hours, as this is sure to be a fun learning experience about and for birds of many feathers.
An American Sign Language Interpreter will be in attendance from 10am to 2pm, and there will be an intro to birding talk at 11am and 1pm, so spread the word! Register here:
https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/charlestoncountyparks/activity/search/detail/11451?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true Bioblitz at Kiawah’s Betsy Kerrison Nature Area Thursday, October 9, 2025
Save the date for this fun opportunity to join the Kiawah Conservancy staff and other nature enthusiasts for a bioblitz. A bioblitz is a communal effort to observe and document as many species within a designated location and time period as possible. We’re talking plants, insects, birds, and more! Follow Coastal Master Naturalists for more info on the event and location.
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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. 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.” 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. Sept 27 A family-friendly open-air festival featuring nonprofits, sustainable local businesses, workshops, and an Arts & Creative Solutions Showcase. |
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 Registration Now Open! Tickets are now on sale for the 2025 Statewide Symposium!
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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 Coral honeysuckle, photo by JK Marlow Invasive species are non-native plants that spread aggressively, outcompeting native vegetation, reducing wildlife habitat and disrupting ecosystems. Many were introduced for horticulture use, while others arrived unintentionally through human activity. There are native alternatives that offer the same appealing traits, such as showy blooms, evergreen foliage, fall color, or unique forms, while thriving in the same sun and soil conditions. These native plants not only provide beauty and resilience in landscapes but also support local biodiversity. Download an informative list here. |
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