Okefenokee Swamp ~ 2

4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

Cypress knees (above) are woody projections sent above the normal water level in the root of a cypress tree, usually seen in swamps. They may help to provide oxygen to the trees and may help to support and stabilize the cypress trees in the soft, muddy soil.

4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

Not the best photo of a dragonfly (below), but enough to make out how different it looks from most of the dragonflies I see up here in the north…

4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

Spanish moss (below) is a bromeliad that hangs from oak or cypress trees. The plant has no roots and absorbs nutrients and water from the air and rainfall.

4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

Spanish moss hangs from the cypress like old lace-pewter veils.
~ Barbara Hurd
(Stirring the Mud: On Swamps, Bogs & Human Imagination)

4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
4.6.12 ~ Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

photos by Tim Rodgers

10 thoughts on “Okefenokee Swamp ~ 2”

  1. Hi,
    I love the look of the Spanish moss, can imagine what this would look like in the middle of the night? A lot of horror movies comes to mind. 🙂

    1. Thank you, Rosie. We were in a small boat with a guide. Kayacking and canoeing are allowed, too. Our guide mentioned a boardwalk in the swamp, but apparently it had been destroyed in the fire. It would be so wonderful to walk there some day after they restore the boardwalk.

  2. These images are wonderful…magical…the cypress knees and spanish moss creating a world for the imagination to go wild. Thank you so much for sharing!

    1. Thank you, Diane, and you’re welcome! The cypress knees and spanish moss were spell-binding – my eyes were rivited so it was a good thing Tim was getting some pictures!

  3. I’m quite sure that the Spanish Moss is the same plant as I have in my garden, which we call “Grandfather’s Whiskers”. When we have a sunny day, I’ll take a photo so you can see it. It has an eerie feeling hanging over the swamp water, sort of like it could be spider’s webs! Tim did a great job with the photos. 🙂

    1. Being so terrified of spiders I’d rather think of the Spanish moss as “old lace-pewter veils” than cobwebs! I am curious and waiting to see what your Grandfather’s Whiskers look like. The Spanish moss does look a bit like Tim’s whiskers, too. 🙂

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