Nature & Science

When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.

                                                                                                -John Muir

Because the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests comprise lands from the coast to the mountains, a visitor has only to open their eyes to witness the wide variety of plants and wildlife thriving in the forests. We invite you to explore some of the diverse creatures, plants and flowers found within coastal South Carolina's Francis Marion National Forest, using the gallery links below.

  • Herpetofauna of Francis Marion National Forest

    Frog

    Gators, Snakes, Frogs and Lizards on the Francis Marion National Forest

  • Birds of Francis Marion National Forest

    Rook/Ricky Wrenn

    Songbirds, birds of prey, waterfowl, gulls, shorebirds, and other birds call the Francis Marion National Forest home

  • Flora of Francis Marion National Forest

    Woman examining wildflowers

    Wildflowers, trees, and other plants unique to the Francis Marion National Forest

Features

Carolina Gopher Frog Conservation

From the pond to the hatchery tanks and back to the pond. In simple terms, this describes the Carolina Gopher Frog head-start program on the Francis Marion National Forest. But there is far more to it than that.

View Feature

Reptile and amphibian diversity on the Francis Marion National Forest

Slideshow_Pine Barrens Tree Frog

We hope you will enjoy this PowerPoint presentation of pictures of reptiles as presented by Wildlife Biologist Jestin Clark.  He spoke about several 2,600 reptiles living in over six ecosystems on the Francis Marion National Forest.  The presentation was to a group of Francis Marion & Sumter National Forests (FMS), Forest Service Savannah River, and Region 8 employees at an optional, weekly “Lunch & Learn” program in October.

View Feature