A few individual photographs of several locals in a marsh. All images were taken in the Donnelley wildlife area, ACE Basin, South Carolina.

Below a Great Blue Heron flew over the open water between a dike and the thick reeds. These reeds probably go back a mile before reaching another smaller dike.

Above, a Roseate Spoonbill perched over the sale marsh side of a dike. The salt area winds along to the shore, maybe 15 miles away.

Another Great Blue Heron, here close to the edge of a tree line. It’s hard to see but another dike is back there (the line of taller brush). This section is a giant series of walled off, dikes, rice fields and retaining ponds from many years ago.

Last the classic look of a Great Egret in flight. Tall marsh grass in the back is mixed with wild rice.

The actual grain of wild rice looks to be smaller than a wheat grain. Local Native Americans did harvest it, the yield was hardly worth the effort. The rice plantations here grew an Asian rice brought up from Barbados in the 1600’s. That rice was first introduced by the Portuguese in the 1500’s.

ACE Basin, South Carolina.