This is the closest I’ve come to capturing the essence of the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
I was afraid that I would not be able to impart the magic that this place radiates. The spell that’s cast and settles over me while walking through this swamp always stops me. To say that ‘I love being here’ is an understatement…so I won’t say it. Words don’t work. I was hoping, really hoping, that somehow, a photo would.
Jeff and I recently accompanied Mama on a trip to the country’s largest remaining stand of 400 to 700 year-old virgin bald cypresses.
The Sanctuary’s 11,000 acres are within the Big Cypress Swamp. It is located right here in SW Florida and is dedicatedly (and in the past, fiercely) protected and owned by the National Audubon Society.
We spent nearly three hours meandering along the 2.25 mile (just over 3 km) long boardwalk that passes through pinelands, marshes, wet prairie, cypress swamps and hardwood hammocks.
The boardwalk was originally created in the 1950’s, and was the only way, anyone could figure, to allow visitors to see and be wrapped up in its primeval beauty first hand.
I’m going to be quiet now and show you what we saw…
a strangler fig holding on tight to a bald cypress
they never let go
a blooming buttonbush
a reaching lubber grasshopper
standing pond cypress
mama setting the pace
a rising pickerel weed
mama and jeff overlooking
the knees of a cypress
a searching baby alligator
his very full tummy
a creeping thistle
an expansive marsh
an arrowhead blossom being groomed
a stately sabal palm
a resting green anole
a group of young florida red maples
sparkling needles of the southern slash pine
and it’s flaky bark…
I had a lot of fun using a pretty neat application of camera filters with these photos. It’s called CameraBag from Nevercenter. They offer this app for your Windows or Mac desktop, iPhone, and the iPad. You can download a 15-day free trial onto your desktop.
Oh, so many new toys, and so little time…
But, it’s never too difficult to pull me away from busyness long enough to spend a morning walking with Mama on a simple nature walk.
Jeff was busy taking photos too, …and lagging behind. He took this photo of us on his iPhone with the Hipstamtic app.
I love this one most of all,
~dale
The pictures you captured are lovely....what a treasure to be able to walk through this ideal little swamp :)
ReplyDeleteOh my word - what beautiful photos! I especially love the one of the roots growing on the surface of the tree trunk. V x
ReplyDeleteThis is just staggering! And yet, I've come to expect a stunning experience every time I visit your blog! Still, the experience always thrills and goes beyond... so tactile, so moving, hard to describe!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, Dale!
Thank you; Meg---your comments really mean a lot to me.
ReplyDeleteVicki---I should have known you would like that photo. It reminds me of the beautiful jewelry you make. :)
You are welcome, Kate :) You and I, both, seem to have an insatiable need to put the spectacular beauty we constantly see around us into a photo. It’s a bit of an addiction, but I have no plans of fighting it.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy the chance to see yours, also.
Beautiful shots. I particularly love the strangler fig, up close. That web-like plant is just so interesting to look at and you got a great shot of it.
ReplyDelete