Sullivan's Island Part 2
On April 11, 2019 at Sullivan's Island, SC from the time of 12:30pm to 1:30pm (1 hour), I made observations through the iNaturalist app and posted them to my account. Prior to my visit, I had already been to Sullivan's Island to conduct observations. While there weren't any extreme changes to the environment, there are some noticeable differences that contributed to new discoveries found during my second visit. From the first time I was on Sullivan's Island (January 17, 2019), it was technically winter and the temperature was 70 degrees. In contrast to my time there on January 17, on April 11, the temperature was 79 degrees with an even higher heat index that made the overall climate feel like 85 degrees. The goal of the time spent on the island, in contrast to the first, was to collect a live Texas horned lizard, in hopes of gaining some knowledge on its life in Charleston since the species introduction to the area. With prior knowledge to where Texas horned lizards would generally be during the time of the exploration, that being out in the dunes sunbathing, I most of the time there in hopes of spotting one.
While searching for a Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), I also observed many different plant life. The first plant that I observed was Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). The Japanese honeysuckle is a twining vine able to climb up to 33 feet high or more and is found all across the United States. The plant has a strong, sweet aroma that is especially prominent during the night. Honeysuckle flowers and nectar can safely be consumed but the berries contain substances that induce nausea and vomiting. Due to the fact that Japanese honeysuckle is a common plant cultivated in the United States, my observation was verified as research grade. Among the vines of the Japanese honeysuckle was poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). Poison ivy is a poisonous flowering plant found all across the United States that is known for causing an itchy, irritating, and sometimes painful rash when people come in contact with it. The rash is caused by urushiol, a clear liquid compound in the plant's sap. The plant is commonly identified by the fact that it has three leaves at the top. Once again, because poison ivy is such a common plant my observation was verified as research grade. Higher up in the dunes, relatively close to where I identified the poison ivy and Japanese honeysuckle, I saw a beach evening-primrose (Oenothera drummondii). Beach evening-primrose is a species of the evening primrose family and is native to open dunes and sandy soils across the East Coast. This species one of the few plants that can survive the harsh conditions of the coastal strand - the shifting, blowing strip of beach and sand dunes above the high tide line. This primrose is an unmistakable identification and because of that, my observation was verified. I also identified a purple flower that I believed to be a Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) but unfortunately I was informed that there isn't enough information to determine the species. Due to this fact, my observation has yet to be verified as research grade. Once again due to lack of information, what I believed to be southern bulrush (Typha domingensis), can only be identified by the genus of Typha. Near all of these plants was a red mulberry tree (Morus rubra). The red mulberry tree is a species of mulberry native to eastern and central North America. The tree is most known for their mulberry fruit, that is a rich source of vitamins C, A, E and K and minerals such as potassium, iron and magnesium. While there were a lot of plants that I was able to identify, there goal for the day wasn't forgotten.
Majority of my time spent on Sullivan's Island was to observe a Texas horned lizard. Unfortunately, I was unable to collect one. While the climate was warm enough for the reptile, it was brought to my attention that the lizard has a routine of eating lass sums of food and resting for a few days before returning out to excrement and eat once again. This fact was likely the case for that day and was confirmed with the discovery of Texan horned lizard dung.
Overall, from the time of my first visit to Sullivan's Island to the second there weren't any drastic changes to the environment but there were some notable new discoveries. The second visit showed the impact that a little bit of time and a slight increase in temperature can do to the overall area. It just goes to show that there is always something new and exciting to be seen when immersing yourself into nature.
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