National Newspaper Week Ad

2023 National Newspaper Week Ad Join SCPA in celebrating National Newspaper Week Oct. 1-7! In addition to the ad below, President Richard Whiting will have a column available later this week. Additional  print and digital ads, columns and editorial cartoons are available on the National Newspaper Week site for download at no...

Mystery Plant! #743

Mystery Plant! #743 John Nelson Posted 9/27/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comFrequently the leaves and stems of a plant will prove to be just as fascinating as its flowers. This is a plant like that, and it is a native, aquatic species.Except for its leaves, the entire plant grows below the surface of...

The Morning Routine

The Morning Routine Tom Poland Posted 9/27/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netCome daybreak, my preferred time to get moving, I check on my neighbor’s flag. I check to see that his place is ok after another night of living in America, (thank you, James Brown), and to see if the wind’s...

Take a quiet walk and talk to God today

Living on Purpose: Take a quiet walk and talk to God today Dr. William Holland Posted 9/27/23By Dr. William HollandJesus Christ loves you, and he desires to spend quiet time with you. Our heavenly Father beckons you to draw near to Him and promises that He will respond with compassion....

Mystery Plant! #742

Mystery Plant! #742 John Nelson Posted 9/27/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comI am sad to say that one of my best friends and botany buddies died last year. Steve W. Leonard was a Tarheel from Davidson County NC, graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with his bachelor’s and later master’s degree (in 1973) in botany....

Blink Book Review #12: History Repeating Itself? Three podcasts and a book, “Against the Tide by Harriet Keyserling”

Blink Book Review #12: History Repeating Itself? Three podcasts and a book, “Against the Tide by Harriet Keyserling” Reba Campbell Posted 9/22/23By Reba CampbellThis book and the recommended podcast episodes should be required reading/listening for anyone who is or was a lobbyist, legislator, page, staffer, reporter or anyone who is...

Mystery Plant! #741

Mystery Plant! #741 John Nelson Posted 9/20/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.com"The average American's simplest and commonest form of breakfast consists of coffee and beefsteak."                                                         ...

Bye Bye Mitt

Stuart Neiman Cartoon: Bye Bye Mitt Posted 9/20/23By Stuart Neiman This content is being shared through the S.C. News Exchange and is for use in SCPA member publications. Please use appropriate bylines and credit line

The Work Of Hands

The Work Of Hands Tom Poland Posted 9/18/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netFolks say the future belongs to “Knowledge Workers.” A so-called knowledge worker is someone who manages information within a specific subject area. I suppose I’m a knowledge worker. I’m more at home with a keyboard than I am a...

Breaking free from distorted thinking

Living on Purpose: Breaking free from distorted thinking Dr. William Holland Posted 9/18/23By Dr. William HollandWe continue the conversation about those who occasionally think about what their life might have been like had they made different choices. It’s true that if we had decided to make other choices our lives...

Have Fireflies Left Us?

Have Fireflies Left Us? Tom Poland Posted 9/15/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netAmong sedges and along tree lines, across lawns and fields they’ll soon cease blinking. Maybe they’ve already ended their nights of miraculous lights. The experts say they left in August. They being lantern bugs, lightning bugs, or fireflies. I...

Coming Full Circle

Coming Full Circle Tom Poland Posted 9/13/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI felt like I’d been tied to the whipping post. I was as low as the proverbial snake’s belly. May 30 a tornado destroyed my Athens, Georgia, home. My marriage was floundering, and I found myself with nothing but the...

Coming Undone

Coming Undone Aïda Rogers Posted 9/13/23By Aïda RogersWhen my uncle died I was confident I could get through the funeral dry-eyed. He’d suffered a long time and because I lived next door, I felt somehow I was suffering too. The funeral would be nothing compared to what had come before.Then the...

Mystery Plant! #740

Mystery Plant! #740 John Nelson Posted 9/13/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comMy plan yesterday was to get up early and prepare for a field trip with one of my former students. It was to be something of a “busman’s holiday”, as we wanted to botanize somewhere, and it didn’t really matter where, as...

Mystery Plant! #739

Mystery Plant! #739 John Nelson Posted 9/6/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comWhen it rains it pours, and I don’t mean that recent hurricane.Among the plant identification requests we got last week here in the Herbarium, there were three separate questions about this very odd plant. I can’t quite figure out if it is...

Glancing At Leaves

Glancing At Leaves Tom Poland Posted 9/6/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netThis time of year I catch myself glancing at leaves. On walks through woods and bike rides along trails, I see the occasional red leaf. I glance again and see a few more leaves turning crimson. Soon red outnumbers green....

Jesus loves the little children

Living on Purpose: Jesus loves the little children Dr. William Holland Posted 9/6/23By Dr. William HollandLast week we talked about how desperately we need to reach all children for Christ, and I still have much to say on the matter. God loves the little children and always made it a...

Mystery Plant! #738

Mystery Plant! #738 John Nelson Posted 8/30/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comYou might remember a couple of times in this column when the Mystery Plant was all about one of the various “Day-flowers” in a family named Commelinaceae. There are a couple of genera that you may be familiar with, including Commelina, which...

Catching Up With Lou Miller

Catching Up With Lou Miller Tom Poland Posted 8/30/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netNo. 87 lay on Buddy Bufford Field as still as a stone. Louis Miller, senior end, had broken ribs, but better days lay ahead. The undefeated Red Devils would beat Dade County to claim the 1960 Class C...

Mystery Plant! #737

Mystery Plant! #737 John Nelson Posted 8/23/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comThey say that when you are in a field of corn, you have to be careful what you say, since there are so many ears. Similarly, there are various forests in the eastern United States in which you have to be careful...

Mystery Plant! #736

Mystery Plant! #736 John Nelson Posted 8/17/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comSuch a wonderful Mystery Plant this week: a real treat for the eyes, as well as the  nose.It’s a native member of the mint family, starting to bloom about now, in the late summer. It is somewhat woody, especially toward the base,...

Learning Along The Estuary

Learning Along The Estuary Tom Poland Posted 8/15/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netThe children of Sandy Island board a school bus boat for an eight-minute journey across the Waccamaw River to the mainland. There, they ride a traditional bus to public schools. A school bus boat brings to mind a floating...

Until one has loved an animal

Living on Purpose: Until one has loved an animal Dr. William Holland Posted 8/15/23By Dr. William HollandCheryl and I grew up around dogs and when we were married, it did not take long for us to bring home our first fur babies, a Scottish Terrier and a Wire Hair Terrier....

Waterfall Country

Waterfall Country Tom Poland Posted 8/9/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSeveral hikes proved easy. One proved tougher than nails. By the time we made it to the third waterfall of the day, an idea had firmly cemented itself. “Hiking to waterfalls is a grueling form of physical conditioning. Mountain terrain is...

Mystery Plant! #735

Mystery Plant! #735 John Nelson Posted 8/9/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comIn the magic garden, this little weed serves as a knee-high street light, towering above the crickets and toads on a late summer night. Along its branches are dangling lanterns, and these shine down, in a make-believe imaginary way, illuminating the ground...

The Miraculous Green Lizard

The Miraculous Green Lizard Tom Poland Posted 8/9/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netWe call it a lizard, except it’s not. It’s an anole, and it can re-grow its tail, “regenerate” in the words of scientists. Think about that. Something else to consider, the connection between a napkin holder I gave my...

How serious are we about hating sin?

Living on Purpose: How serious are we about hating sin? Dr. William Holland Posted 8/7/23By Dr. William HollandWe spoke last week about addictions that involve more people than we could imagine, and we should realize by now that personal problems happen whether one proclaims they are a Christian or not....

Mystery Plant! #734

Mystery Plant! #734 John Nelson Posted 8/2/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comI am thinking that some of you might have been inclined in the past, and even now, to spend time around a pond or lake, perhaps a large impoundment such as our own Lake Murray here in central South Carolina. Perhaps you’ve...

Blink Book Review #8: “The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Blink Book Review #8: "The Personal Librarian" by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray Reba Campbell Posted 8/2/23By Reba Campbell“The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray was such a delightful surprise. Historical fiction isn’t normally my top reading choice, but to stay true to one of my...

Being honest with God and ourselves

Living on Purpose: Being honest with God and ourselves Dr. William Holland Posted 7/31/23By Dr. William HollandIn the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the perception of contradictory information and the mental toll of it. Relevant items of information include a person’s actions, feelings, ideas, beliefs, values, convictions, and things...

Mystery Plant 733

Mystery Plant! #733 John Nelson Posted July 26, 2023 By John Nelson johnbnelson@sc.rr.com And now, ladies and gentlemen, for your late summer enjoyment, I am proud to present a plant that is common as dirt... and a member of the sedge family! You may remember from your first botany class...

Darkness can never overcome God’s light

Living on Purpose: Darkness can never overcome God’s light Dr. William Holland Posted July 25, 2023By Dr. William HollandThere is a lot of talk today about the reality of a global system of organized evil that controls the governments and social politics of the world. There are many different attitudes...

Mystery Plant! #732

Mystery Plant! #732 John Nelson Posted 7/19/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.com“I’m a lonely little petunia in an onion patch…”                              Lyrics by John Kamano, Billy Faber, Maurice MerlWell this one’s pretty easy, I hope. And I figured that during these really hot, sultry days, now at the height of summer, you might want...

The Ruins Of Chappels

The Ruins Of Chappels Tom Poland Posted 7/19/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netHighway 34. It’s my route east to places like Ninety-Six, Abbeville, and Greenwood. When I drive Highway 34, I’m in my element—the back roads, but some back roads don’t easily give up their secrets. I’ve written that you can...

Mystery Plant! #731

Mystery Plant! #731 John Nelson Posted 7/12/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comNo gaudy flowers for this humble little earthling. No flowers at all! Not even seeds. Here’s a plant that reproduces solely by spores, and shares affinities with the familiar ferns. Some people might look at this plant and think it’s a moss...

The Air Collision Time Forgot

The Air Collision Time Forgot Tom Poland Posted 7/10/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI visit forgotten churches more than the church I call my own. I feel a haunting at an unfrequented church, a poignant peaceful feeling. I see pews, a pulpit, and the occasional piano. A hymnal now and then....

Mystery Plant! #730

Mystery Plant! #730 John Nelson Posted 7/5/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comOne of my pet peeves as a plant taxonomist comes up again when we look at this little plant. Its common name suggests that it is a grass---but it is not a grass. Not even close.Nevertheless, it looks at little bit like...

Having courage to stand for what we believe

Living on Purpose: Having courage to stand for what we believe Dr. William Holland Posted 7/3/23By Dr. William HollandEvery summer we look forward to the Fourth of July because it’s filled with fun things to do, like barbecuing, picnics, games, family gatherings, boating, camping, and fireworks. Also, for many, it’s...

Outdoor Men Of Letters

Outdoor Men Of Letters Tom Poland Posted 6/29/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netBeing a native Georgian, I didn’t grow up reading South Carolina writers. Nor do I recall reading Georgia writers, but I read a lot. Hemmed in as I was by strict parenting and Georgia woodlands, magazines and books connected...

A Scrape In The Sand

A Scrape In The Sand Tom Poland Posted 6/28/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSand washes away. Memories last forever.The year was 1982. That would have been South Carolina Wildlife magazines 28th anniversary. I worked in film then and I felt I was part of the magazine staff though I wasn’t. While...

Mystery Plant! #729

Mystery Plant! #729 John Nelson Posted 6/28/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comWe have no bananas today, but we have something very, very similar: something that brings us a very decidedly Latin American addition to our menus. But first, a few words about the banana “family”.The banana family is a group of plant species...

The Beach That Was

The Beach That Was Tom Poland Posted 6/26/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netFrom afar the skyline looks like that of a city, and it is. Myrtle Beach’s skyline of hotels seems to dwarf the skyline of all other South Carolina cities. It even has a SkyWheel similar to Atlanta’s SkyView Ferris...

Being informed is not a substitute for truth

Living on Purpose: Being informed is not a substitute for truth Dr. William Holland Posted 6/26/23By Dr. William HollandAll levels of government and its ally, the mainstream media, are regularly accused of dishonesty. Many of these falsehoods are ignored or quickly forgotten by a public that has become numb to...

Mystery Plant! #728

Mystery Plant! #728 John Nelson Posted 6/21/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comLet’s head to the beach! But watch out for the dune vegetation: in many places, the vegetation is protected by law, and visitors are admonished to stay off the dunes. Besides, some dune plants will bite you back.Our Mystery Plant is one...

Mystery Plant! #727!

Mystery Plant! #727! John Nelson Posted 6/15/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comTo be a dog, a mule, a cat, a fitchew, a toad, a lizard … I would not care.                                               ...

Lone Star, The Rambling Ghost

Lone Star, The Rambling Ghost Tom Poland Posted 6/14/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI’ve long felt that two of South Carolina’s prettier community names are Silverstreet and Lone Star. Silverstreet I’ve seen many times. Those names, evocative and atmospheric, charm the ear. One conjures up biblical streets of gold; the other...

Living on Purpose: God Did That

Living on Purpose: God Did That Dr. William Holland Posted 6/13/23By Dr. William HollandWithin the unlimited amount of evidence to prove that God is real and the Creator of all things, there is no greater example than the Sun, Earth, and Moon. The average person does not wake up in...

My Father’s Failed Quest

My Father's Failed Quest Tom Poland Posted 6/12/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netDad had a saying. “I won’t let it whip me.” He prevailed over stubborn bolts, obstinate lawn mowers, welding projects, and just about anything that crossed his path, except one small, elusive critter. Hummingbirds. Oh he had no problem...

Mystery Plant! #726

Mystery Plant! #726 John Nelson Posted 6/7/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comMint, sage, rosemary, thyme, horehound, mountain-mint, catnip, bee-balm, marjoram, pennyroyal, lemon-balm, hyssop, lavender, dittany and basil (is it BAY-zil or BAAA-zil?): what an aromatic bunch of plants these are! All of these are fragrant members of the widely distributed "mint" family, one...

My Good Friend, Steve Blackmon

My Good Friend, Steve Blackmon Tom Poland Posted 6/5/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netThe writing life introduces me to some memorable people. Steve Blackmon found me when his daughter, Myra, read my feature, “Remembering Danburg,” in an online journal of Southern culture. She told her father about my story and Steve...

Sweet Talk

Everything and Nothing: Sweet Talk Aïda Rogers Posted 6/1/23By Aïda RogersThere’s not much my friend Kathy and I don’t talk about. Somehow, though, we always end up on the topic of sweets. Usually it’s whatever ice cream flavor she’s discovered and what I’m mixing with my nonfat plain Greek yogurt to...

Mystery Plant! #725

Mystery Plant! #725 John Nelson Posted 6/1/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comOne of the neatest things about being a botanist is that there is always a surprise, right around the corner. We sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that everything around us is hum-drum and uninteresting, and then boom. Something really wonderful,...

Chasing The Ivorybill

Chasing The Ivorybill Tom Poland Posted 5/30/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.net“Chasing the Swamp Ghost” caught my eye, and I read Garden & Gun’s feature about photographer Bobby Harrison’s quest to capture irrefutable evidence that the ivorybill woodpecker still lives. As I read, I came across a vague reference to the...

My SC Wildlife Dream Machine

My SC Wildlife Dream Machine Tom Poland Posted 5/25/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netI grew up in a large hardwood forest in Georgia, and I rambled in woods every chance I got. I saw deer, wild turkey, ducks, and coveys of quail. When they flushed, it sounded like a bomb going...

Mystery Plant! #724

Mystery Plant! #724 John Nelson Posted 5/25/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comFoul words and frowns must not repel a lover;What though the rose have prickles, yet 'tis pluck'd.                                William Shakespeare, “Venus and Adonis”; 592.When I was a senior in college, my very final semester, I took an English class named “Shakespeare’s Comedies”. I loved the...

The Day The Sky Fell

The Day The Sky Fell Tom Poland Posted 5/23/23 By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netA beautiful blue-sky afternoon it was. As I walked back from my mailbox a freshly killed squirrel with half its head missing fell right in front of me. What a shock. I looked up to see a red-shouldered...

A Favorite Place

A Favorite Place Tom Poland Posted 5/23/23 By Tom Poland A Southern Writer www.tompoland.net tompol@earthlink.net Each spring I write of three places, three beautiful places where colonies of rocky shoals spider lilies bloom. One is quite accessible; one is perhaps the world’s largest colony, and the other, though difficult to...

Mystery Plant 723

Mystery Plant 723 John Nelson Posted May 17, 2023 By John Nelson johnbnelson@sc.rr.com The other day I was busying around in the herbarium when a gentleman from the little town of Wagener, SC dropped by, carrying a bucket. Inside the bucket was a good bit of water, from his pond,...

A divided heart lives in deception

Living on Purpose: A divided heart lives in deception Dr. William Holland Posted May 16, 2023By Dr. William HollandI’m reminded again of the quote from Scott Fitzgerald, “You do not write because you want to say something; you write because you have something to say.” I can relate to those...

Mystery Plant! #722

Mystery Plant! #722 John Nelson Posted 5/10/23 By John Nelson johnbnelson@sc.rr.com All of the maple trees of the world belong to a genus which has been named “Acer”. There are well over 100 different species, and practically all of them are native to the northern hemisphere. Maples play an important...

20 Lessons Learned: From Diploma to Today

20 Lessons Learned: From Diploma to Today Reba Campbell Posted 5/10/23 By Reba Campbell ‘Tis the season for college graduations. USC’s recent graduation weekend makes me realize I walked across the Carolina Coliseum stage 40 years ago to pick up my Journalism degree. Several days later, I packed my car...

Mystery Plant 721

Mystery Plant! #721 John Nelson Posted 5/4/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comAll the leaves seem to be unfolding or already expanded around us now, or just about, and it’s time to discuss…again…a tree with very distinctive foliage.Now, I must report that this past Friday I was leading a field trip for a crowd...

When A Church Dies

When A Church Dies Tom Poland Posted 5/4/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSome linger in woods. Some stand, for now, at the end or side of a dirt road. Some hide behind other buildings, and some haunt the edge of hamlets and villages.Abandoned churches. How does a church die? I know...

Disney Fights Back

Stuart Neiman Cartoon: Disney Fights Back Posted 5/2/23By Stuart Neiman This content is being shared through the S.C. News Exchange and is for use in SCPA member publications. Please use appropriate bylines and credit line

When A Church Dies

Living on Purpose: When A Church Dies Dr. William Holland Posted 5/2/23By Dr. William HollandSome linger in woods. Some stand, for now, at the end or side of a dirt road. Some hide behind other buildings, and some haunt the edge of hamlets and villages.Abandoned churches. How does a church...

Mystery Plant 720

Mystery Plant! #720 John Nelson Posted 5/2/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comWhere exactly is the “enchanted forest” that you sometimes hear about? I’ve come to realize that for me, it was that little patch of woods right next door when I was growing up. But you’ve probably been in an enchanted forest, too. Enchanted...

Making The Sea Bountiful

Making The Sea Bountiful Artificial Reefs & Memorial Fishing Grounds Tom Poland Posted April 26, 2023By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netEarly 1980s, it was. We put out to sink a ship. Waves tossed us about as we headed seaward to document the sinking of a Liberty ship. Seems it was the...

Moody Spring

Moody Spring Tom Poland Posted 4/25/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netRounding a curve on Highway 107, I saw water spurting from handsome stonework set in a mountain. Moody Spring, I knew we’d stop. I had no qualms about drinking the spring’s water. It had no taste. That’s what made it great....

Mystery Plant 719

Mystery Plant! #719 John Nelson Posted 4/25/23By John Nelsonjohnbnelson@sc.rr.comThe following story is true. (Or make that “stories”.)There was a botanist named Henry Oosting who was born in 1903. Upon acquiring his PhD, and at the age of 29, he was hired as an ecologist within the botany department at Duke...

No Supreme Court Ethics

Stuart Neiman Cartoon: No Supreme Court Ethics Posted 4/18/23By Stuart Neiman This content is being shared through the S.C. News Exchange and is for use in SCPA member publications. Please use appropriate bylines and credit line

Your Continental Divide

Your Continental Divide Tom Poland Posted 4/18/23By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSomething trendy comes along that’s annoying and you resist. Some manager at work decides to implement a new work procedure. You don’t like it. “C’mon now, just go with the flow.” It takes courage to resist others. In going with...