Rudy Mancke

A predator-prey drama takes place in Magnolia Gardens...

A listener finds an odd combination of objects on the beach, Rockweed and Goosneck Barnacles.

A listener finds a Wheel Bug "recycling" a Water Strider.

This spider is one of the largest found on the state.

Gaillardia pulchella, or Firewheel, is a southwestern species that has become naturalized to South Carolina.

A listener finds the bones of an Opossum, South Carolina's only marsupial.

One of the sounds made by the Cat Bird resembles a house cat's "meow."

The Mockingbird, a poem by Frank Stanton...

This subspecies is not as common as the Eastern Cottonmouth, which is widespread on the Coastal Plain.

This larva of the Southern Flannel moth is very common in South Carolina.

Males of this species have a bright white abdomen.

A listener finds a Jack-in-the-Pulpit plant that is fruiting.

These snakes come in various color schemes, but, always have an upturned "snout."

These birds are more common inland than they use to be.

A listener spots an Eyed Click Beetle and wonders about the purpose of the false-eye spots.

The Copperhead is more likely to strike when disturbed than any other venoumous snake in the state.

Carolina Wrens often come back to the same area each year to nest.

The Dusky Birch Sawfly is a stingless wasp. As the common name implies, its prefered food plant is the River Birch.

A family finds an object in a tidal pool which one of the children dubs a "mermaid's bracelet." It's actually a tube extending from a Plumed Worm, or Diopatra cuprea, beneath the sand.

A listener finds the nest of a Great Crested Flycather and has a question...

A listener spots an odd looking squirrel in Santee...

The Ichneumon Wasp lays its eggs in the larvae of other insects.

The caterpillar of this moth feeds on lichen.

Owl pellets, like the one a listener found, contain the remains of the animals the owl "recycles."

A listener finds a Black Rat snake making a meal of a squirrel. Rat Snakes are powerful constrictors and feed on small mammals.

A listener finds a beautiful, bell-shaped "flower" in Pickens County and wonders what they are.

The colonial nesting birds are often found on cliff faces in the western U.S. In South Carolina, you will often find them under bridges.

Deer Flies, or Yellow Flies, are out in number this year, especially near water. And, yest, they will "bite"!

Corn Snakes are often mis-identified as venomous and, unfortunately, killed.

A listener finds a mating pair of Pink Striped Oakworm moths.