National Geographic Open Explorer South Carolina Waters Expedition #4--Congaree State Park And Synchronous Fireflies

Nestled between the Congaree and Wateree Rivers is a cherished and protected piece of Palmetto State landscape consisting of 27,000 acres called the Congaree National Park. Over 20,000 acres of the floodplain park is federally designated wilderness. Thanks to the efforts of Harry Hampton and a grass-roots campaign, this tract of land survived the voracious appetite of the lumber industry that swept through the Santee River area.

Congaree National Park preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. It has the distinction of having one of the highest temperate deciduous forest canopies remaining in the world and has been crowned the Home of the Champions, also known as the "Redwoods of the East." Boasting the tallest known specimens of 15 species, it is home to the second tallest tree in the East, a loblolly pine standing at 167 feet and the second-tallest common baldcypress reaching a height of 141 feet.

Rightly noted for its tall trees, it is also a very special place for two and a half weeks come the springtime and the natural event that occurs only happens in a few other locations around the country.

While most people will be looking to the heavens to enjoy a nightly lightshow, visitors to Congaree National Park will be looking to the underbrush of the wetlands tall tree canopy for a spectacular nightly lightshow. In the later half of May to early June every year, a special kind of firefly performs an intricate and mesmerizing serenade all for the purpose of finding a mate to ensure their species returns year after year to repeat the phenomenon. The male fireflies of this particular species synchronize their flashing to entice the females in this unusual mating dance.

There are over 125 different fireflies present in North America, and over 2,000 worldwide. I always called them lightning bugs, which is actually a little closer to the truth, designating them as a bug, because they are not flies, but are a type of beetle. There are several species in Congaree National Park, but only one of them is synchronous. It is the species called Photuris frontalis. Mature forests and wet bottomlands are their preferred habitat and the bluff near the park visitor center is their ideal hang out.

Rick Olson and I arrived a day before our team leader, Dave Eslinger. We checked into the park's accommodating Harry Hampton Visitor Center to gather some information and maps, after which we headed out to set up camp in the parks remote campground called the Bluff. It was a mile trek from the Long Leaf campsite.

On the way, we came across a section of the forest where the trees had burn marks on their bark two feet up from the ground. Every once in awhile the park management do controlled burns. There were no facilities or running water at the campsite. It's called roughing it. On the plus side, the Mosquito Meter was at mild. We tested out our survivor skills by making a fire from the hundreds of discarded pine cones and branches strewn across the pine-needled ground, cooked hamburgers, and planned out our next day's activities, which would start with a paddle on one of the park's waterways. We saw fireflies here, but it wasn't the species we came to observe. The terrain was not ideal.

After enjoying a breakfast, we headed to the kayak launch. The marked Cedar Creek Canoe Trail winds approximately 15 miles through the Congaree Wilderness and passes through a primeval old-growth forest of elms, hickories, pines, maples, oaks, common baldcypress and swamp tupelo. The paddle was relaxing and picturesque, but we did not see any of the park's resident wildlife--river otter, deer, turtles, wading birds, and the occasional visiting alligator--except for one snake and the occasional splashing fish.

After the paddle, Dave Eslinger arrived and the expedition team walked the 2.4 mile Boardwalk Loop Trail--an elevated wooden walkway. The boardwalk offered an opportunity to view the different habitats found throughout the park with descriptions and explanations provided on a self guided printed pamphlet. The first half was a low boardwalk leading to Weston Lake-an oxbow lake where we observed turtles bobbing up and down in its murky waters and a large alligator gar cruising just below its top waters. The second half was an elevated boardwalk traversing swampier terrain. Dave got some stunning photos of the wildlife encountered on the walk, which will be posted separately on the South Carolina Waters Expedition site.

After the boardwalk, the main objective of our expedition was now the focus--to view and document the firefly phenomenon. A designated Fireflies Trail was marked along the bluff line, which gave access to prime viewing areas. The fireflies began their enchanting lightshow near sunset and continued until full darkness blanketed the bluff. Adding to the mystical display, the light from the full moon showered down on the thick upper forest canopy casting a white glow along the fringes of their leaves.