Naturally Kiawah Magazine Volume 31 | Page 50

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The wind-shaped oaks
at the Ocean Course.
- Jay Smith

Number

55

I love being immersed in the lush vegetation of the Island.
Even developed property is nestled into our lush, natural
environment.
- Jim Chitwood

Beautyberry
By the end of September, when
the flowers of summer are gone,
beautyberry bushes fill Kiawah
with glorious color. Along the
bike paths, at the edge of the
maritime forest, and in gardens
across the Island, beautyberries
splash deep purple everywhere.
They are lovely to behold and
provide great food for wildlife.
By winter, the bushes are bare;
in the spring, when so much else
is in bloom, you can easily pass
by without noticing their small
white blossoms and green leaves.
But once September arrives,
beautyberries reign!
- Paula R. Feldman © 2014

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No.

Sweetgrass

Sweetgrass, or Muhlenbergia filipes by its
formal name,sports a dainty, feathery bloom
in September that lasts into early November.
While our northern friends enjoy the lush
reds, golds and browns of fall, here in South
Carolina we take pleasure in the arrival of
the purple and pink sweetgrass as it bends
and curves in the breeze. Occasionally we
too get a short burst of fall color, against
which the sweetgrass is especially vivid.
- Tina Schell

58

Number

Live oaks with their grey
beards of Spanish moss.
- Jane Ellis

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