Kiawah Island is a gated community and as such requires a guest access pass if you are not a property owner or reserved guest of the island. If you are not a property owner or reserved guest and would like to visit one of our preserved areas, please contact Collie Farah (Conservancy of the Sea Islands Land Preservation Specialist) at collie@conservancyoftheseaislands.org or 843-768-2029 to schedule a visit and obtain a gate pass for the island.
Plenty’s Island
Owned Property
Preserved: December 2002
Preserved: 2.09 acres
Preserved: Located within Horseshoe Creek Marsh near Landfall Way off Seabrook Beach Road
Habitat Type: Maritime forest, hummock island, tidal salt marsh and salt shrub thicket
Conservation Value: The marsh adjacent to this hummock island is covered with pluff mud and typical marsh vegetation, including smooth cordgrass, saltwort, broom sedge, marsh elder, and sea ox-eye daisy. There are also abundant shells of mussels and marsh periwinkle. Though the island is only a foot or two higher than the surrounding marsh, its vegetation is that of a mature maritime forest with abundant live oak, loblolly pine, yaupon holly, red cedar, and wax myrtle. Other vegetation on the island includes sweet grass, yucca, broom sedge, coral bean, prickly pear, a variety of catbriers (smilax species), and cabbage palmetto. The oaks are surprisingly old and well developed, with some up to two feet in diameter. The island harbors a variety of birdlife including typical marsh birds: snowy egret, great egret, great blue heron, cormorants, and hooded mergansers. But the most interesting is the abundance of woodpeckers, including the usual red-bellied woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsuckers and flickers, and the less common (on Kiawah Island) red headed woodpecker. In addition to these birds, the island also provides habitat for towhee, Carolina wren, yellow-rumped warblers, white-throated sparrow, mockingbird, tufted titmouse, and several hawks, including osprey and northern harriers. The island is used as a secluded nesting site for many of these species. Other wildlife on the island includes deer, raccoons, opossums, and other small animals. The island is used by a variety of species as a sanctuary where animals can live undisturbed by humankind.