Biotope Information

This biotope captures a clogged channel in the late-fall watershed of the Reedy River in Upstate South Carolina, a key tributary of the Santee River Basin. The landscape is shaped by iron-rich red clay soils, carving winding river channels. The red-orange riverbeds sparkle with mica, worn from the erosion of common metamorphic rock in the region. During fall, deciduous trees shed their leaves and drop dead branches, which accumulate in the shallow channels to form naturally occurring debris dams. These seasonal obstructions trap organic material and sediment transported from upstream, creating complex microhabitats to provide shelter and foraging grounds for small fish and invertebrates. https://scnps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SC_NativePlants_Family_RegionalAbun_20220108.pdf https://www.greenvillecounty.org/LandDevelopment/pdf/RiparianBufferManualFinal.pdf