Friday, July 23, 2021

Swamp Swamp Swamp Swamp Music

 

♫ "When the hound dog starts singin'
I ain't got them big ol' city blues" 

I really wouldn't want to be with the hound dogs chasing racoons... I'd hate to see the racoons getting hurt. I've always had a soft heart for animals (and I prefer the city over the country), but that song (Swamp Music) gets stuck in my head every time I see a swamp, and this one was absolutely gorgeous. It was also very safe to visit because I was doing so from a boardwalk at the Tallahassee Museum. The views I literally stumbled across were too good not to share.


Honestly, I was just watching the kids climb in the trees (zipling and that sort of thing) and it got to a point where it was difficult to follow them so I wandered off to see what else was on the grounds. I stopped dead in my tracks when I rounded a corner and ended up over this swamp. Wow! was all I could even think. It was just so gorgeous. This place is called a museum, but it's unlike any museum I've ever seen. Everything progresses so naturally and so much of the 52-acres of natural wonders, historic buildings and hard-to-find animals just leaves you standing there in awe. Nothing more so for me than this swamp.

 
Cypress trees are the most flood-tolerant trees in Florida so it is not uncommon to see them in the swamps. This particular type, per the President/CEO of the museum is a Pond Cypress. They sure make for a pretty setting. I think this is my first 'reflection' picture that I've gotten that I love, and I wasn't even trying to get it. I was just mesmerized by the view. These are all phone pics. I didn't bring the camera.


The kids (grown and not grown) took a zipline over the swamp, and I'm sure that was quite the experience. I opted out of that this time around and thank goodness, or I would have missed these beauties. I remember a time when I wouldn't have missed any adventure, but I'm taking things (just a little bit) slower these days, and that's okay. I am a grandma of four...hard to believe for me, but it's true, and my grandchildren are amazing. 


I was curious about the trees and poked around a little on the web. This is the information I got from the Arbor Day website, and it explains the swollen bottoms you see on all of these trees. Evidently, these 'cypress knees' only appear when the tree is rooted in wet conditions. The 'knees' or bulbs are believed to be a way to help the roots get oxygen when they are stationed in a flooded area.


This tree, a deciduous conifer, sheds its leaves each year, unlike other trees that produce cones. Pond Cypress grow up to 80-ft. high and an average of 15-ft. wide. Though the museum has one that has earned a state record due to its massive trunk size.


These trees are lauded for being wonderful contributors to the eco-system and they are virtually maintenance-free. That is wonderful, but the fact remains that they are stunning visuals and make for an enchanting in-person moment. I surely appreciated mine.

You can find these trees at the Tallahassee Museum in Tallahasee, Florida. If you are in the area, it is a visit worth taking.

33 comments:

  1. We have a lot of these trees locally and they are absolutely beautiful. I love the history.

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  2. I love trees and those are absolutely magnificent! I'd love to be in this place.

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  3. Wow! I am absolutely envious. I've been down to Tallahassee many times during my residency in nearby Valdosta, GA and I never knew the Tallahassee Museum existed or that you could get such views and access to the natural habitat of the region. Good thing for me my bucket list calls for me to take a picture in front of every state capitol building. A trip to Tally would be required at some point.

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  4. Beautiful.
    I much prefer the countryside to the city.

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  5. Wow! They look majestic! What a stunning and equally eerie place....

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  6. It is so pretty and I too have never seen a museum like it. I know my kids would love to go play there what an adventure that would make.

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  7. Holy wow! I think this is the frist time I've ever seen a Lynyrd Skynyrd song referecne! That's almost as awesome as that area. Very cool.

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    1. I wondered if anyone would recognize the song. ;)

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  8. The cypress swamps are amazing places.

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  9. These pictures are so beautiful! I would love to visit this.

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  10. oh wow!!! I've never been to a swamp before but these trees are impressive!!! Amazing...

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  11. The pictures are beautiful. The whole place can be made as a picnic ground.

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  12. It is so nice knowing of a tree that I had never known of before! Thanks for sharing about it.

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  13. What an interesting place to explore! I've never been to a swamp like this.

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  14. Oh my goodness the swamp is actually stunning! It looks like a peaceful and interesting place to explore.

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  15. I find swamps are so relaxing and the trees so mesmerising to look at. I enjoyed looking at your photos and reading your post

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  16. Wow, this is my first time to see swamps like this! Looks like they preserve it very well. I would love to be able to visit and see this with my own eyes too.

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  17. What a neat place to visit! I've never been to a true swamp like that before. It looks so neat!

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  18. the place looks so relaxing. i would sit all day and take unending photos.

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  19. What a majestic looking place! I have never been on a swamp and this looks breathtaking. Thanks so much for taking us with you through this discovery.

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  20. Wow, I love nature a lot. Those tress are properly arranged and create an atmosphere of relaxation

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  21. Oh wow, what a cool place. I absolutely love those trees, it is certainly somewhere I would love to visit.

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  22. I have never been close to a swamp - those pictures are so cool

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  23. WOW this swamp is such a treat for the eyes! Zip-lining there must be such an amazing experience

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  24. I'd say it was an adventure well missed if you got to stumble upon these beauties! I really wanted to visit the swamp lands in Louisiana while we were there, but I didn't have time. There's just something very calming about the lush greenery in them. Though calming from a boardwalk LOL. I'd probably lose my mind going through in a boat.

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  25. I hope we can preserve more swamps and mangroves. It gives home to different animals and ecosystems.

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  26. So pretty, I am digging these pictures!

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  27. Such a gorgeous place! I would love to visit such museums that feature natural beauty 😍 Love those shots too, so beautiful 👌🏻

    Thanks,
    Everything Enchanting

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  28. Wow I never knew these trees do exist

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  29. the place looks so beautiful and so unusual to me! I would LOVE to visit it myself

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  30. This is absolutely breathtaking. I'd love to visit here in person. It looks like a setting from a movie.

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  31. Wow these trees are amazing, what a cool place to explore!

    Laura x

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  32. Go see these things while their still around.

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