Into the Swamp!

We took a few days to drive over to an area near Charleston.  Our plan was to explore more of the swamps in that area.  Unbeknownst to me - South Carolina is a treasure trove of black water swamps!  This time we visited Cypress Gardens and The Frances Beidler Forest.  Both of these were wonderfully peaceful places with huge Cypress trees and dark, dark water, which has the color of a strong cup of tea.

I learned that the Cypress tree is related to the Redwood tree - and from the size of some of these I could well believe it.  No way you could drive through one of these however as they are surrounded by water.

This is a happy sight of spring, in these quiet, deep forests.

The Cypress knees fascinate me -- they have such shapes as to look like a person standing or a whole family, perhaps having a deep discussion.  This one made me think of an animal (perhaps otter shaped) which was nuzzling its babies into place.  Can you see it?

The water is filled with tannin and is very, very clean because the tannin removes any bacteria.  Not that I would be dipping my hand in this water - there are snakes and alligators that may not appreciate my attention.

There were shapes and textures everywhere.  These Cypress swamps are exotic and mysterious places.  I am definitely a 'visitor' enjoying the magic.  I send a special thanks to those people who are dedicated to preserving these treasures.

"The goal of life is living in agreement with nature." - Zeno

Swamp Fever

Don’t you love it when you take a vacation (long or short) that involves sights you don’t usually see? The joy of driving over to Charleston is that we get to explore worlds that we don’t have here at home.

                                                                  Photo by Tom Baugh

Our first stop on this recent trip was the Audubon Swamp Perserve. This swamp area is part of the original Magnolia Plantation lands. That plantation’s crop was rice and the wetlands served as a perfect growing place.  Today it is a preserve for all manner of wildlife. We were so very fortunate because both the egrets and the herons were breeding and the rookery was filled with these beautiful birds. They would swoop up into the air and then settle down in the trees.

                                                                    Photo by Tom Baugh

The egrets were my favorites because their beautiful, white, fluffy feathers just captured my imagination. What would it be like to crawl onto the back of one of these majestic birds and hitch a ride, nestling down into their white, fluffy feathers? I wish I could know.

There was a thick carpet of bright green duckweed coating many of the surfaces of the swamp. It was so dense and smooth that it looked like a floor of bright green linoleum that you could easily walk upon and never get wet. Of course we weren’t allowed to test that theory.

When I saw this stand of trees with lines and shadows running across the top of the duckweed, my imagination took over. Do you think one day I might translate this picture into punchneedle? I think I might try!

This log, seemingly wrapped with vines (or whatever) made me think texture and sculpture. How I would love to have this in my yard so that I could study its turns and twists and intricacies.

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous". - Aristotle