Black River Cypress Preserve

05/30/2026

Thanks to these wonderful, intelligent, and kind guides, your experience at the preserve is a good one!

Pictured: Savannah, JD, Sarah, Cindy, Angie, Judith, Mary, Shana, Terry, and Susan. This isn't everyone! You've probably run into Dan, Marty, and Mathilde on the trails, too.

05/27/2026

Just when we completed the new boardwalk trail at the Peninsula Tract, we are building one more! Now guests can walk the entire perimeter of Peninsula alongside the Black River the entire way. Soon they will have a new boardwalk to traverse that will take them through Wood Duck Pond and Swamp! Join us in the fall to check these trails out.

05/26/2026

Did you know?

The Swallow-tailed Kite is a summer resident raptor in Coastal South Carolina. We consider ourselves lucky when one is spotted flying over BRCP property. World wide they are a stable species, but in South Carolina they have suffered from habitat loss.

They live and feed along our freshwater river systems, often gliding all day, seldom flapping their wings. The coolest thing about them (to me...) is that they eat on the wing! They prey mostly on insects but will capture frogs, lizards, snakes and nestling birds out of the tops of the trees they soar over, then just eat as they glide along.

Have you seen some? Where?

📷 Tom Ficaro

05/22/2026

Have a wonderful weekend! Beautiful images to take you there....

📷 John Kester, Sarah Wilson, Mathilde Dummond, Savannah Rufus, and others....

05/21/2026

Happy National Bee Day!

Everyone loves a good pollinator whether they are a bee, butterfly, beetle, or mammal. Yes, animals like bunnies and squirrels can spread pollen when they are foraging around flowers.

Some people, like Frank Johnson, are brave enough to care for bees at their home, and some people, like us, plant native flowers to support our native bees. Either way, doing your small part adds up with everyone else doing a small part and creates a BIG change.

Thank you from the bees and their friends!

📷 Susan Johnson

05/20/2026

Won't you join us before we close for the summer 🔥 season? The last chance to join us on the property is May 30, otherwise you'll have to wait until fall. We will have another free Full Moon Hike and would love to see you!

Use this link if you'd like to join us:

May 30, 2026 - 7:30 - 9:30 pm, limited to 15 people, free of charge Let's take a night hike on the Swampside Tract, watching the moon rise and looking for nighttime residents - owls, deer, and fireflies! While there are no promises, we will keep our ears peeled, eyes open, and fingers crossed we get...

05/18/2026

Thank you for a great season! We hosted more than 3,000 people and had more than 120 diverse groups from around the South! College students, school kids, conservationists, and adult adventures of all sizes and shapes enjoyed the beauty and serenity of the Black River Cypress Preserve from September through May.

We enjoyed hosting you and getting to know you. Folks in the community recognize our logo and praise our property, but we THANK YOU!

We are closed to visitation for the summer months but are already scheduling groups from September to next May.

Get on the calendar!! Visit our website and contact us to schedule a visit:

https://www.cypresspreserve.org/visit/

05/17/2026

Did you know.....

This little beetle has a huge economic and excitement impact in the areas where it lives? Visit a dark space this month and check them out! To learn more, watch this video from the South Carolina Wildlife Federation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gduX8_Hf-DQ

📸 Getty Images

05/15/2026

From our family to yours! Happy International Family day.

BRCP Staff field trip to the Congaree National Park - Anderson, Sarah, Dylon, Isabelle, Angie, and Jonathan pictured with a world-class loblolly pine tree.

05/15/2026

Who Am I? Do you know this summer resident of South Carolina?

This 'other red-bird' usually arrives in April and hangs around until October in our mature mixed deciduous hardwood and pine forests. They come here to breed and raise the future generations of this gorgeous bird then they fly to Central America and northern South America for the winter. You can hear their call, a short descending trill that sounds like 'pit-a-tuck' often before seeing them.

Put your ID guess in the comment section! Answer is in the photo comment section.

📷 - Bill Wingfield