Here are some pics I took yesterday in Maryland, in and near a headwater swamp on one of the dozens (hundreds?) of tidal rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay, the world's largest estuary.
Here's an Iris, either Iris virginica or I. versicolor, I guess. Feel free to add any comments or ID's.
Maryland Tidal Swamp pics
Beautiful photos, Claypa. Thanks for sharing - we see nothing like that here.
Thanks KaperC. But there's really poor surfing here. The tide is maybe two feet / .6m or so. This spot is spectacular in August, lots of cardinal flowers Lobelia cardinalis, swamp milkweeds Asclepias incarnata, marsh mallows, on and on... I'll post more pics next time I get down there. Lots of plants there I didn't mention, blueberries, azaleas, ericaceous groundcovers, vines like Mikania scandens and a funny little potato-like one Apios americana, winterberries... always something to see. Lots of good birding too.
This message was edited Jun 4, 2008 10:21 PM
Very nice. I love the little pennywort leaves, and it's always a wonder when you meet a jack of that size.
What is it about swamps that is so attractive? We'll even put up with the bugs to take a wander through. I'm always amazed by the swamp rose. Stan got me a cutting from one that was standing in a foot of water and blooming away. Mine is in a relatively soggy part of the yard in heavy clay and seems to just love it.
Wonderful, wonderful.
I love a walk in the swamp (and the bugs are bad). There are some here that I don't see in my swamp.
Swamps are just so fasinating! Thank you, thank you for sharing this walk in the muck!
Kathleen, I'm sure that was a rhetorical question, but I think swamps offer something for all the senses like nowhere else, the sights, sounds, smells, even tastes. And there's seldom anyone there, so it's a good place to get away to.
I do have a bunch of swamp rose seedlings from this place, so far, so good. They were easy to collect and winter sow.
cpartschick, I'm surprised I didn't get any mosquito bites, I don't know where they are. And I already got a poison ivy rash in my own yard. The shoes are the hard part - I usually just wear old sneakers. I clean 'em good before I go in there too, because I don't want to track in a bunch of lawn weed seeds.
lol, even rhetorical questions should occasionally be answered.
Merril makes a great pair of swamp shoes with vibram soles for gripping. A little pricey, but cheaper then a broken leg or hip. But I walk in the woods and swamp everyday.
You are lucky about the skeeters. I have to marinate myself in deet to keep sane. Then they still fly in your eyes. But it is worth it.
Or maybe I am a bit crazy. LOL
I've had a pair of these for 22 years. They need to be re-soled now. I paid three hunnerd for 'em. I see they're cheaper now? It worked out to be a lot cheaper than a bunch of fifty dollar boots. Sometimes it pays to spend the extra money. The "cheapest" guy I ever knew always said he couldn't afford to buy cheap things that wouldn't last.
http://www.merrell.com/Product/NZGP/Mens-Active-Footwear/Hiking/Mens/Wilderness.aspx
If I went and bought another pair my girlfriend would act like I'm nuts, but I only have a few pairs of shoes/boots/sandals and flops. She's like Imelda Marcos with the whole closet full. Oh well.
I posted this tree/ shrub in the trees forum. I had a glimmer of hope that it was an American Chestnut but it's an Allegheny Chinkapin / Dwarf Chestnut Castanea pumila. I wonder what the odds are of finding a nut before the squirrels do.
Great shots, claypot.
You are going to have to show me around your swamps when I come up to PA in late September/early October.
I don't have a bunch of shoes either, and try to be thrifty. DD had a fit when I showed her my new shoes to wear in the swamp. (she didn't think they looked new) But you are right, they last, they are comfortable, safe and cheaper all around.
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