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Thursday, April 7, 2011

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

5 comments:

  1. Cool Place!
    We don't have swamps here in Northern Indiana, but we have bogs. And we live on a short road that ends at a bay/creek that empties into the St. Joseph River. The land south of it is a county park and we have spend much time over the years wandering around along the creek. There is always something to see and wonder of.

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  2. Penny, as you know I'm away and I'm trying to do this comment on my smartphone, argh. I keep hitting the wrong tiny letters! Anyhow, I so enjoyed this post especially since my son just posted one very similar on his blog. It's on the sidebar of my blog...Ken Moore Photography.

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  3. Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Penny. I've written down the quote ... so important.

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  4. I think that the word 'swamp' has a bad connotation for some people. I love them - there is so much LIFE (yes in capital letters)inside one of these places. Thank heavens for the Audubon Society for their work in these areas. -Penny

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  5. Lovely photos. I hadn't realized there was so much beauty in swamps.

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