Okenefokee Swamp
April 4, 2009

When you think about south Georgia, two things frequently come to mind: 1) the Okefenokee Swamp, and 2) Spanish moss-covered trees. Well, below is an image that represents both. This was taken by Sharon at the Chesser Homestead inside the National Refuge entrance at Folkston.

We were on a mission to find gators and it did not take long. Just beside the road was this female and in the water nearby was her little one.

A boardwalk took us into the swamp to see many critters and plants.

The pitcher plant was very common.

These two look like they were made for each other.

Dragon flies were everywhere. This is the only one that would pose for me, however.

The water is dark. The Cyprus trees make it look almost black, depending on your point of view. I would not think that ferns would typically rise out of the water, so it must be the recent, heavy rains that have flooded even the swamp.

At the end of the boardwalk was a 50-foot tower from which you could survey an area of the swamp that is less densely covered by trees and shrubs.

Typically Sandhill Cranes winter-over in the Okefenokee Swamp, but there was a pair still hanging around for our photographic pleasure. Perhaps we'll see them again soon in Yellowstone.

Lizards and chameleons ... they were crawling all over the boardwalk. We say several black snakes hanging from trees and swimming in the water as well.

Heading back out of the swamp we stoppped once more for a picture of mother gator. She was resting peacefully and was gracious enough to put up with my photographic obsession.

Around the bend was another pond and on the far side were a pair of large gators. On our side, right in front of us, were a few chirping babies that quickly swam for cover. Mama kept an eye on us.

She can just keep her teeth to herself, though. Can you tell that she's not pleased?

The same gator pond was filled with swarms of HUGE tadpoles. They are going to make huge frogs and a really good meal one day for man and beast alike. I wonder if they taste like chicken at this stage in life. A couple standing next to us observed that tadpoles are great on a hotdog bun -- I didn't want to know anymore (GROSS!).

With one of our favorite beaches only one hour away, we headed for Amelia Island, Florida and Fernandina Beach. We walked beside the water holding hands and looking for shark teeth. Sharon and I did not find any teeth (so sad), but we did have a great afternoon and evening together.

The end to a wonderful day (after 8-hours of driving back to Atlanta, that is).