Carnivorous plants and Carolina Bays in the Francis Marion National Forest.

Carolina Bays are elliptical wetland depressions found only in the Southeastern Coastal Plain. They are characterized by the plant life within them (not the continued presence of standing water as the name implies), and are definitely one of the most unusual ecosystems we have to explore in the Francis Marion National Forest.

Often you find carnivorous plants living on the edges of these “bays”. Because of the lack of nutrients in the soil these plants use the insects they catch for nutrients.  Twelve species of carnivorous plants call the Forest home, and twenty-five of South Carolina’s last remaining 200 Carolina Bays can be found on the Forest. This is a special place to explore!