Making It Grow Minutes

Sometimes, yellow jessamine blooms in conjunction with Asian azaleas, but this year, it jumped the gun.

Amanda McNulty explains why yellow jessamine was selected in 1924 as our state flower.

Dandelions have long tap roots, and unless you get almost all of them out, they merrily grow right back.

Early settlers to the New World brought dandelion seeds with them to have a source of vitamin-rich greens.

Though dandelions are sometimes considered a pest, their prolific growth does have some ecological benefits.

Dandelions grow everywhere, except in Antarctica.

Though there are a wide variety of types of greens, Amanda McNulty explains why some are her favorites, while others fall short.

We now revere and protect our sea turtles, but it was not always this way.

The SC Department of Natural Resources hotline is live 24/7

The South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston can save sea turtles suffering from various complaints.

All litter flows downstream, into storm drains, creeks, lakes, and massive amounts end up in the ocean.

Amanda McNulty explains what to do if you observe a sea turtle that looks injured or ill.

The structural weakness of sycamores is a boon to a variety of animals.

Sycamores not only tend to lose limbs, which makes nesting sites for bats, birds, and mammals, but they also tend to rot from the inside, leaving open spaces at their base.

Most people wouldn't, and shouldn't, plant sycamore trees in their yards.

Sycamores have a complicated wood structure, but they have interesting properties that can be put to good use.

Amanda McNulty marvels at the beauty and endurance of the mighty sycamore.

Amanda McNulty shares how Christmas tree ornaments gathered over the years can stir warm memories of loved ones, both near and far.

Amanda McNulty reflects on the romance and beauty of Christmas trees once lit by candles.

Amanda McNulty embraces the spirit of the season by sharing the joys of visiting your local Christmas tree farm.

Amanda McNulty explains the origin of her passion for colorful Christmas tree lights

Amanda McNulty reminisces about putting up her Christmas tree in her 19th century home.

Cedar apple rust is a fungus, but its brown cases become jelly-like blobs with protrusions that look like something from outer space.

Our eastern red cedar is one of the junipers whose berries are used to flavor gin.

Native Americans used eastern red cedar for canoes and ceremonial buildings.

Before the ubiquitous Fraser firs that don't grow well here, many people got an eastern red cedar.

Eastern red cedar has long been used to line chests and closets to protect wool items.

Bird and bat guano have both been used as valuable sources of fertilizer. The most valuable guano is found in caves protected from water.

Agave growers get higher yields of tequila precursors when the plants aren't allowed to flower, imperiling bats that depend on the night-blooming flowers.

Do you enjoy tequila? Thank the bat community.

Host Amanda McNulty explains how you can help protect our state's bat population.

Host Amanda McNulty explains why bats are important mammals worldwide.

Tree leaves aren't the only thing that contains chlorophyll; sometimes it's stored in the fruit.

Chlorophyll is the basis for life on Earth.

Tapping trees has a long history in the U.S.

In the fall, Vermont's deciduous trees put on an eye-popping display of color.

If you want to see beautiful fall leaves in South Carolina, you should head up above Highway 11.

During World War II, the stabilimenta of writing spiders was observed getting smaller, possibly supporting a theory of the zigzag's purpose.

While joining a friend to watch writing spiders weave their webs, Amanda McNulty ponders the purpose of the stabilimentum.

Host Amanda McNulty takes a closer look at the web weaving of writing spiders.

One of the common spiders that weave webs with a distinctive zigzag pattern is the yellow garden spider.

Instead of having to keep up with cleaning spiderwebs from the front of her house, Amanda McNulty decides to recruit some members of the wildlife community.

Although some consider it invasive, the Trumpet Creeper has inspired naturalists and writers, such as hummingbird enthusiast William Hilton.

The native Campsis radicans, or Trumpet Creeper, is often called invasive, but it supports a variety of wildlife.