The Cypress Swamp
October 21, 2008
I first encountered a Cypress swamp about three years ago when I visited Mississippi for the first time. Being from Michigan I couldn’t grasp the concept at hand ࢅ these really old trees were growing in the middle of a swamp where the water was apparently stagnant. Yet somehow, it promoted growth. In Michigan if that happens things die and deteriorate.
Apparently it’s different in Mississippi. These trees have been around for hundreds of years. The water is also home to frogs, fish and alligators. You might think that it smells terrible, but it really doesn’t. There are, however, a lot of mosquitoes.
In contrast to the area around the swamps the trees grow further apart, allowing more light to reach the swamp. Across the road the forest had grown so dense that unless the light was shining almost straight down it was difficult to see in the evening hours.
On the top of the water the algae and sediments rest and can almost look like a solid surface. Without the wind everything was still for us, that was until my nephews threw rocks to disturb the water.
Though I was disappointed that for the second time I had not seen an alligator I did see some wildlife. Mostly there were small things such as mosquitoes, squirrels, herons and frogs. I also saw a very large spider, which for once I passed on the opportunity to shoot because of light restrictions… and the fact that I was trying to get it off my nephew’s foot before he noticed or was bitten.
One of my nephews came across the same spider’s nest, which had recently released thousands of baby spiders that still lived on the web. The creepiness of the concept didn’t hit me until I was actually reviewing these photos. Only a few of the spiders are actually in focus, due to the multi-layered web. Even those in focus are hard to see.
I noticed these mushrooms growing around the tree, but at a second glance they were also growing inside the tree. This concept was new to me as well.
After our walk around the swamp we returned to the car and started the drive home. Though the light had left the Cypress swamp the sun had not fully set, allowing me to take photos of the sunset over the reservoir.
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I really like the black and white photos! The story arc was a little different than what I am used to but you seem to pull it off as well.
Rob: Thanks. I thought there was something about those photos that needed to be in black and white. The colors were good that day, but you know, there are just those particular shots. I also thought I’d try something different in the way I wrote this article, I theorized that it might fit the subject matter a bit differently than my normal style. Then again, if statements and variables don’t often belong in articles about Cypress Swamps. =)