Silver Bluff Nature Reserve

A week ago we went to the newly opened Audubon property near Aiken, SC, called Silver Bluff. You may remember that I was so excited about seeing the swallow-tailed kites later in the day that I didn't think there had been much of interest at Silver Bluff.

Now that I've looked at my photos, I find that there were some nice things after all. Here are a few.

This is a newly hatched grasshopper.

Trumpet vine

Passion flower or May pop

Here's what all those baby woodstorks we saw a few months ago do now that they are bigger. They hang around in shallow ponds.

A hackberry emperor butterfly

These butterflies landed all over us.

W is for Woodstorks

Sorry to have been gone so long. I needed a break from blogging and then we went on vacation. I hope to finish the alphabet before we go off again at the end of this week.

There is a small reserve about ten minutes from the house called Dungannon. Just in the last couple of years woodstorks have begun a nesting there. Although the reserve is close, it's a 2 and a half mile hike in to see the actual roolery area--there were more than 60 nests. But it's well work the walk. We went in earlier and saw all the nest building and courtship going on. Then we went back six weeks later and saw--and heard!!!--hundreds of chicks of all ages. It was wonderful.

Here are some pictures in no particular order of the woodstorks.