The Tidelands of South Carolina by Dave Wyman

The natural world and a sense of history still hold sway in portions of coastal South Carolina between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, in places like Georgetown, Pawleys Island, Brookgreen Gardens, Huntington State Park, in the swamps, tidal marshes and along the Atlantic Ocean. Herein are thirty three images of the "low country" in summer.

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Goodbye to Carolina

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Pawley Island Boat Docks at Sunset

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Paddling at Sunset

We had a 45 minute wait to be seated at the popular Pawleys Island Tavern. With my wife's consent, I headed over to the nearby tidal marsh and photographed a couple in a canoe as they glided through the reflection of the setting sun.

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Party Time at Pawleys Island Tavern

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Casting a Net

An egret, at left, waits for a handout.

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Flowers at Brookgreen Gardens

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Flower at Brookgreen Gardens

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Leaf Detail, Brookgreen Gardens

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Sculpture, Brookgreen Gardens

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Brookgreen Garden Bronze - Title: Eat More Pork

Anna and Archer Hyatt Huntington founded Brookgreen Gardens in 1931, preserving the native flora and fauna and displaying an important collections of figurative sculpture - 900 pieces - by American artists. The gardens, on the site of a former rice plantation, are located near Pawleys Island, off Highway 17.

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Fox Squirrel

Fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) are the largest arboreal, or tree squirrels.

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Plantation Rice Fields, Brookgreen Gardens

A humid day in July, perhaps 90 degrees. What must have it been like for slaves to have worked these fields, while their masters relaxed in their summer homes on Pawleys Island, a few mile away.

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Big Daddy - Huntington State Park

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Head Shot

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Alligator

An al
Alligator floats just off the Haror Walk pier, in Georgetown.

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Jellyfish and Friend

I photographed these two creatures of the sea, locked in an embrace, on the beach at Pawleys Island.

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Giant Spider Alert!

This is a female golden silk spider, Nephila clavipes, a species of orb weaving arachnids. While the males are diminutive, females can reach about two inches in length. We found this spider, along with several others, with their webs attached to some trees, off Highway 17. A few minutes earlier muy wife and I had accidentally walked through a web, and I found myself brushing one of these giant spiders off the front of my t-shirt. I'm not sure who was more upset, the spider or me!

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Butterfly at Huntington State Park

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Family Outing

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Breakfast on the Beach

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Swan

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Egret

An egret, after feeding on crabs and fish, perches atop an ancient pier piling and views its surroundings in the tidal marsh near Pawleys Island.

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Boat Wake Along Plantation Country

Pontoon boat wake on Cap'n Rod's tour of the river plantations, out of Georgetown.

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Pier Pilings, Georgetown

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Rockers at the Kiminski House, Georgetown

The beautiful Kiminski House, built in the late 1700's on a bluff overlooking historic Front Street and the Sampit River waterfront, inlcudes a wonderful collection of antiques. The house is now a museum, open to the public. The old chairs pictured here grace the front porch.

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Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church

The elegant Georgetown church, built sometime around 1750, reputedly with brick from the ballast of British ships, was twice occupied by army troops: by the British during the Revolutionary War and by Union troops during the Civil War. Note the "old school" enclosed pews.

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Enclosed Family Pew, Georgetown

At the Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church.

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Roadside Produce Stand

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Fixer on Pawleys Island

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Beach Homes

Beach houses face the Atlantic, on Pawleys Island.

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All Saints Parish Episcopal Church

Long ago, plantation owners and their families worshipped at the All Saints Parish Episcopal Church at Pawleys Island. I spent a few minutes alone in the little church, still in use, on an early Sunday morning.

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Waiting for a Wave

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The View from Pawleys Island, at Dawn

A boat dock faces toward the tidal marsh separating the island from the "low country" mainland of South Carolina.

Before the Civil War, at the end of May each year, plantation owners and their families would move away from their plantations, and would not return until November. They left because they feared contracting malaria. (Plantation employees and slaves had no such option, of course.)

Pawleys Island is less than four miles in length and not more than a quarter mile wide. Located a few miles north of historic Georgetown, the island - beginning in the late 1700s - was a favorite retreat of the planter famlies. Today, the little island is still a popular resort. Hundreds of "arrogantly shabby" beach homes, most of them available for rent, cover the island.

Goodbye to Carolina 318 views

Pawley Island Boat Docks at Sunset 311 views

Paddling at Sunset 311 views

Party Time at Pawleys Island Tavern 311 views

Casting a Net 310 views

Flowers at Brookgreen Gardens 312 views

Flower at Brookgreen Gardens 314 views

Leaf Detail, Brookgreen Gardens 312 views

Sculpture, Brookgreen Gardens 313 views

Brookgreen Garden Bronze - Title: Eat More Pork 312 views

Fox Squirrel 313 views

Plantation Rice Fields, Brookgreen Gardens 311 views

Big Daddy - Huntington State Park 311 views

Head Shot 313 views

Alligator 311 views

Jellyfish and Friend 81 views

Giant Spider Alert! 81 views

Butterfly at Huntington State Park 78 views

Family Outing 79 views

Breakfast on the Beach 78 views

Swan 80 views

Egret 79 views

Boat Wake Along Plantation Country 78 views

Pier Pilings, Georgetown 78 views

Rockers at the Kiminski House, Georgetown 84 views

Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church 78 views

Enclosed Family Pew, Georgetown 77 views

Roadside Produce Stand 79 views

Fixer on Pawleys Island 73 views

Beach Homes 76 views

All Saints Parish Episcopal Church 60 views

Waiting for a Wave 56 views

The View from Pawleys Island, at Dawn 61 views

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The Tidelands of South Carolina