A flash of golden yellow moves through the shade of a South Carolina swamp. That small bird is a prothonotary warbler, and in 2026, South Carolina named it our official state migratory bird.

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For more information about the SC Department of Natural Resources, visit dnr.sc.gov.

Walk through a South Carolina forest and look closely at an old oak, a fence rail, or even a bare rock. Those pale green, gray, or orange patches are often lichens - and each one is really a partnership.

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For more information about the SC Department of Natural Resources, visit dnr.sc.gov.

Few birds look more effortless in flight than a swallow-tailed kite. Its black-and-white body and deeply forked tail make it easy to recognize as it circles above a South Carolina swamp.

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For more information about the SC Department of Natural Resources, visit dnr.sc.gov.

When people hear the word shark, they usually picture deep ocean water. But many young sharks spend part of the year much closer to shore, inside South Carolina's bays, sounds, and estuaries.

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For more information about the SC Department of Natural Resources, visit dnr.sc.gov.

A bobcat can live surprisingly close to people and still go almost unseen. Its spotted coat, quiet feet, and habit of moving through thick cover make it one of South Carolina's most secretive predators.

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For more information about the SC Department of Natural Resources, visit dnr.sc.gov.

A smooth slide down a muddy bank, a trail of tracks, or a quick ripple beside a log may be the only sign that a river otter has passed through.

For more from Into the Wild, visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/intothewild.

For more information about the SC Department of Natural Resources, visit dnr.sc.gov.

On a humid evening, a field or forest edge can begin blinking with tiny points of light. Fireflies are not flies at all. They are beetles, and their flashes are a form of communication.

For more from Into the Wild, visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/intothewild.

For more information about the SC Department of Natural Resources, visit dnr.sc.gov.

During the colder months, one of the rarest large whales on Earth may be swimming beyond South Carolina's beaches. Some North Atlantic right whales travel more than a thousand miles from northern feeding grounds to the Southeast.

For more from Into the Wild, visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/intothewild.

For more information about the SC Department of Natural Resources, visit dnr.sc.gov.