Why should we support the SC Botanical Garden? Yes, they offer natural spaces where we take our families for picnics and photo sessions. They offer classes and guided walks regularly, and we can enjoy exercising on their paths and trails. These are all critical to our physical, emotional, and mental well-being. (Thank you, Nature at Work for stressing this essential component for our health.)
Yet, I have seen a different side of the SCBG since I attended the SC Resilience Conference. I didn’t realize the extent of their research and how they are monitoring and conserving plant diversity. Diversity–a word that packs a lot of meaning. As a planner, I want communities to offer a diverse mix of uses that support a wide variety of needs for demographically diverse populations. I strive to work toward a healthy, natural environment to serve as the foundation for all community endeavors. Without ecological diversity, monocultures can lead to disease and negatively impact certain species.
The SCBG works with various departments at Clemson University to survey species in the field and target seed collections for safeguarding. Many of these native plants are threatened by development. Just as zoos serve a vital role in educating the public, developing wildlife appreciation, and saving endangered species, the SCBG serves as a “zoo for plants.”
Plants also play a key role in watershed health and are essential to the banks of the streams that lead to the lake and the shorelines around the lake. They support the soil with their roots. They also serve as a food source for insects and other animals higher up the food chain. Native plants, in particular, are critical to the buffer zones around the lake. A healthy ecosystem supports native flora and fauna.
My work with FOLKS focuses on watershed health. We enjoy Lake Keowee’s clean waters daily. Over 500,000 people drink Lake Keowee water. Residents appreciate the quality of life around the lake, and visitors immerse themselves in lake activities. All of this is possible because of the efforts to protect the shoreline. Duke Energy’s Shoreline Management Plan and Oconee County’s Lake Overlay require vegetative buffers. (Pickens County is reviewing its version of a lake overlay now.)
Recently, the SC7 group, organized by the SC National Heritage Corridor, toured the SCBG while they journeyed through the Upstate. I joined them as they walked through the Natural Heritage Garden. We began with the Cove Forest, which is a small portion of South Carolina but “harbors more species of trees than all of northern Europe and over 4,000 species of vascular plants” (SCBG). We ventured through the Piedmont Prairie that has been recreated on 10 acres at the Garden and learned that the fires the Native Americans set kept the prairies healthy. Today, invasive species make it difficult to maintain a prairie, and forests grow where prairies used to reign. Native birds and other creatures dependent upon them struggle under these circumstances. Next, we found the Sandhills and the Longleaf Pine Savanna, which showcases how diverse plants, including carnivorous plants, are native only to South Carolina and need fire to survive. We wrapped up the tour in the Maritime Forest with South Carolina’s beloved palmetto tree and sweetgrass.
South Carolina’s unique plant ecosystems are often taken for granted, but they play a significant role in our lives. A study of this region’s natural history also provides a foundation for creating a resilient community. The William Bartram project in Westminster, SC, is an example of how plants can influence our lives. William Bartram travelled just north of Westminster during Revolutionary War times and identified plants that influenced other naturalists and writers around the world. Visit their website at williambartramsc.com to learn more. Fortunately, the SC Botanical Garden, with its knowledge and heirloom seeds, including Franklinia alatamaha, one of Bartram’s discoveries that no longer grows in the wild, is just down the road from the City. These connections are important to the health of our watershed. We should be grateful for the myriad of services by the SC Botanical Garden.
Westminster would appreciate your help in matching grant funds with donations, so they can memorialize Bartram at a downtown park. Donations can be made to the Greater Clemson Community Foundation. A link is provided on the Bartram project website.