We crossed into South Carolina today after five nights in Carolina Beach, NC. Our stay there was somewhat subdued after the exciting boat rides and weather at Hatteras. We departed there against squalls from a cold front and passed tornado-demolished houses as we worked our way south across the Coastal Plain. The cold front reached past Carolina Beach and we endured a cold wind the whole time we were there. None-the-less, our visit was good. The peninsula south of Wilmington has experienced much development, and the park preserves a bit of coastal forest. Several different forests, actually. A fairy forest of long-leaf pine and turkey oak graces the drier sand dunes. The pine seedlings are candle-like with a clump of very long bright green leaves capped by a pure white bud atop a thick candelabra-like stalk. The robust adult trees tower over the small, grotesquely branched, turkey oaks, some still bearing last season’s large spiky leaves. A few of the oaks are bare and sprouting new pointy buds. Spring is arriving in Carolina. Down gradient a few inches on the sand slope is a forest of pond pine and live oak. Whereas the long-leaf pine has bold twelve-inch long needles and makes great ten-inch cones that adorn the ground below like cow pies, the pond pine has thread-thin eight-inch needles and small, irregular, but very spiny cones. A lesser tree certainly, but one that can survive an occasional dunking. The live oak with its small-cupped evergreen leaves is an icon of the Southeast Coastal Plain. Depressions of even lower ground host one of several plant communities, depending on how deep they are. The shallowest are somewhat sterile with only scattered grass and fetterbush rising among the water tolerant pond pines. These barrens, poor in nutrients and subject to drought, support some of the most interesting plants in the park; bizarre elves that manage to obtain nitrogen through predation. These include pitcher plants, sundews, and, one of the world’s most amazing plants, the Venus flytrap. The larger and deeper depressions host various “gums” (loblolly gum, sweet gum, and black gum), magnolia, red maple, red bay, and cypress. Here some of the broad-leaved trees are decidedly deciduous, others drop their leaves reluctantly, and a few are evergreen. Those with the most persistent leaves seem to have ranges centered to the south, the most naked have ranges centered to the north. Here neither habit provides a big advantage and so there is this curious mixture. The red maples are in full bloom and drawing insects and birds. No sign of leaves on them yet, but a few are already forming seeds. At Carolina Beach we were dry camping and had a hard time maintaining our “house” batteries with the winter cold and dark. We found only a few new birds there and moved on today. Tonight we are at a South Carolina State Park, but here the campsites have electricity and water. They also cost more, of course, but we can more easily stay warm. Our journey today took us by ferry across the Cape Fear River. A half-hour ride, we went upstairs to the lounge. The weather was awful, the rain poured and the wind made the bay choppy. The rain has continued into this evening. We don’t care for it, but the natives are rejoicing at what they hope will be a drought breaker. Rain is forecast for tomorrow morning as well, but then the weather should improve and even warm up. We look forward to that.