Exploring New Places: South Carolina's Cypress-Tupelo Swamps
Ah, the swamp. A stinky, mucky, oozy, icky, bug-infested no-man's land, brimming with creepy crawlies and things you'd never want to run into at night. A place no one wants to visit; a land without use or purpose. Right?
Wrong.
Entirely wrong.
(Except for the part about being bug-infested. That part might be true.*)
Eric and I recently returned home from visiting friends, family and a slew of historic sites in the Carolinas and Virginia. We hiked in gloriously verdant forests, birded in exceedingly productive wetlands, swam in the balmy Atlantic, and toured a plethora of places brimming with history: two plantations, five Revolutionary War battlefields, four Civil War battlefields, two forts, and two historic Colonial settlements. (Aside: I cannot recommend a visit to Colonial Williamsburg and Historic Jamestowne highly enough!!)
Perhaps most significantly (for me), we experienced South Carolina's swamps.
Swamps, like all other wetlands, have been much maligned, and as a result, severely degraded over the last couple of centuries. I would argue that the stigma attached to swamps is even greater than other wetlands simply because of the name. I admit, the word "swamp" doesn't exactly conjure up images of pristine wilderness and ideal locations for family picnics. I mean, who wants to vacation at a place called The Great Dismal Swamp? (I do, apparently.)
Swamps, in my opinion, are entirely undeserving of their mistaken reputation as unpleasant places. They are as much a pristine, unspoiled, primeval wilderness as any redwood forest I've experienced, holding a certain ethereal mystery all of their own, a sense of enthralling magic and captivating beauty comparable to any other forest.
A swamp, simply defined, is a flooded forest. A marsh, on the other hand, is a flooded grassland. Both are types of wetlands. Other types of wetlands include vernal pools, wet meadows, tidal salt marshes, bogs and fens. California has representative examples of each of these unique ecosystems (with the exception perhaps of the classic northern peat bog) but we don't have anything quite like the cypress-tupelo swamps of the southeastern United States. South Carolina's swamps were, for me, an entirely new experience.
With our home base in Charleston (Mount Pleasant, to be specific) we visited the I'on Swamp in the Francis Marion National Forest, Four Holes Swamp at the Audubon Center at Beidler Forest, the Caw Caw Swamp at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center, and Congaree National Park, which boasts the largest tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest left in North America. We hiked nearly 10 miles through these various swamps, in rain and shine (and let me tell you: a swamp in the rain is a special experience!), counting a few dozen species of birds, most of which were new to me. In addition to new birds, I had plenty of new plants to make acquaintances with as well!
In the wettest parts of the swamp, bald cypress and tupelo are the dominant trees. Loblolly pine also grows in slightly drier places, while dwarf palmetto and switch cane often cover the ground.
As far as trees go, the arboreal poster child for the swamp is most certainly the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum). These towering trees produce clusters of "knees" around each tree, which grow up out of the water like tapering fingers. Scientists are inconclusive about the function of cypress knees, but they have noted that they grow in direct proportion to the amount of water around the tree; cypresses growing on dry ground don't produce knees. The trees may use their curious projections as structural support during times of high wind or flooding, storage space for starches produced by the trees through photosynthesis, or "snorkles" to facilitate gas exchange between the air and roots, even when the roots are under several feet of water. Additionally, a number of birds use the knees as convenient perches, and, quite frankly, they just look super cool.
As the natural habitat of the bald cypress is by definition a place that is frequently flooded, the trees have another notable adaptation, in addition to their knees, to help them survive. Bald cypress wood is naturally resistant to water and rot, allowing it to resist decay and remain in excellent condition even after a century or more of use. For this reason, bald cypress wood has been a very attractive commodity to humans, first used by native tribes for building canoes, and later exploited by loggers for use in a number of places where rot-resistant wood is invaluable, such as roofs, docks and bridges.
Bald cypress is the tree's knees! (Oh, what a terrible pun...)
Adding to the mysterious atmosphere of South Carolina's swamps, these wild wetlands are the historic home of two species of birds that are possibly - or probably - extinct: the legendary Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and Bachman's Warbler. (Sightings of both have been extremely rare and entirely unconfirmed in recent years; it has been decades since there has been a confirmed sighting of either species.)
Birds more likely to be seen when venturing into the swamps of South Carolina include the striking Pileated Woodpecker and the brilliant yellow Prothonotary Warbler (also called the "swamp canary"). Listen for the song of the Carolina Wren and the chatter of the Tufted Titmouse. Egrets and herons hunt in the shallow waters, while Barred Owls and Red Shouldered Hawks perch silently above.
Reptiles are also abundant in the swamps, and like reptiles everywhere, those that dwell in swamps command our respect but certainly don't deserve our fear. Most notorious of course are the alligators (we saw quite a few on our hikes, completely content to mind their own business), along with Carolina Anole lizards, Five-lined Skinks, Snapping Turtles, Yellow-bellied Sliders, and venomous Cottonmouths. (Again: be aware, be respectful.)
Squirrels scamper through the treetops, river otters glide quietly through the water, and raccoons fish along the water's edge. All told, over 300 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish live in the swamp, to say nothing of the insects and arachnids found here!
Actually, I will say something, briefly, about the arachnids found here! The Golden Silk Orb-weaver, a type of spider whose female individuals easily attain the size of an adult's palm, builds enormous webs in forest opening and along the edges of trails. We saw dozens of them while hiking through the swamps! But like most spiders, they look more fearsome than they really are, and they are essentially harmless when left alone.
Threats to cypress-tupelo swamps are many. Because of the attractive rot-resistant qualities of bald cypress wood, swamps have been extensively logged; very few old-growth bald cypress trees are still around today. As with other wetlands, damming, draining, channeling and filling of swamps is an ongoing project in many areas. The cleared, drained and filled former swampland is then turned into agricultural land or developed further for housing or industry. And of course, simple, old-fashioned pollution continues to be an ever-present threat.
So, you may think, if the wood harvested from cypress swamps is so valuable, and the cleared land able to be "reclaimed" (I hate that term) and "put to good use," then why not? Why not exploit these resources and make full use of the land?
To put it simply, because swamps are valuable just the way they are.
Swamps are more than mysterious backwaters, wastelands waiting to be made profitable. In addition to their intrinsic value, they provide a number of ecosystem services that, when managed well, will continue to benefit humans and the environment for decades to come. In addition to providing timber, swamps and other wetlands act as filters to clean pollutants from the water; as sponges to absorb excess water and control flooding; as sinks to capture carbon dioxide; and as veritable oxygen factories. Additionally, swamps provide unique habitat for an array of rare, threatened and endangered species, as well as beautiful, peaceful places for our own recreation, contemplation and overall enjoyment.
Thankfully, there are patches of South Carolina's cypress-tupelo swamps that have been restored and preserved so that visitors might come to understand and appreciate these unique and beautiful ecosystems. I highly recommend a visit to one of the places I mentioned above:
Caw Caw Interpretive Center, with an excellent visitor center and over 6 miles of trails looping through a variety of habitats, including swamp, bottomland forest and former rice fields. We especially loved the 1.2 mile Swamp Sanctuary Trail, which includes an elevated boardwalk.
Audubon Center at Beidler Forest, a bird and wildlife sanctuary preserving the world's largest virgin cypress-tupelo swamp forest. Walk on the 1.75-mile boardwalk loop through the forest and prepare to be amazed! We loved this place. Even if you never plan to visit, I recommend watching this video to appreciate the unique beauty of the swamp.
I'on Swamp Interpretive Trail in Francis Marion National Forest, a 2.5 mile loop through swamp habitat along embankments built in the 1700's by slaves for rice production.
Nearby, the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center has displays, trails, and red wolves, a species which historically inhabited this area.
Congaree National Park, protected under the national park system since 1976. Take a walk on the 2.4 mile Boardwalk Loop Trail, which begins at the Hampton Visitor Center.
I'm sure there are many other places to visit the swamp as well; these are just a few that we found and thoroughly enjoyed on our brief visit!
I treasure the short time I was able to spend in the swamp: the songs of warblers filtering down through the dense canopy, a brilliant kaleidoscope alive with every shade of the most vivid green; the distant drumming of a woodpecker and haunting call of a Barred Owl; an alligator gliding silently, stealthily, harmlessly through a quiet backwater; the sun reflecting off the intricate patterns of the largest spider web I've ever seen; the reflections of towering trees shimmering on the surface of still, black water; knobby cypress knees rising from the water to contribute to the other-worldly feeling of this magical place.
I hope for your sake that you, too, are able to experience one of these special wetlands!
* Bring Deet and you'll be fine. Use anything else, and you'll end up with 54 mosquito bites, a dozen stinging ant bites, and a swarm of biting flies that won't leave you alone. Ask me how I know.
Wrong.
Entirely wrong.
(Except for the part about being bug-infested. That part might be true.*)
Eric and I recently returned home from visiting friends, family and a slew of historic sites in the Carolinas and Virginia. We hiked in gloriously verdant forests, birded in exceedingly productive wetlands, swam in the balmy Atlantic, and toured a plethora of places brimming with history: two plantations, five Revolutionary War battlefields, four Civil War battlefields, two forts, and two historic Colonial settlements. (Aside: I cannot recommend a visit to Colonial Williamsburg and Historic Jamestowne highly enough!!)
Perhaps most significantly (for me), we experienced South Carolina's swamps.
Swamps, like all other wetlands, have been much maligned, and as a result, severely degraded over the last couple of centuries. I would argue that the stigma attached to swamps is even greater than other wetlands simply because of the name. I admit, the word "swamp" doesn't exactly conjure up images of pristine wilderness and ideal locations for family picnics. I mean, who wants to vacation at a place called The Great Dismal Swamp? (I do, apparently.)
Swamps, in my opinion, are entirely undeserving of their mistaken reputation as unpleasant places. They are as much a pristine, unspoiled, primeval wilderness as any redwood forest I've experienced, holding a certain ethereal mystery all of their own, a sense of enthralling magic and captivating beauty comparable to any other forest.
A swamp, simply defined, is a flooded forest. A marsh, on the other hand, is a flooded grassland. Both are types of wetlands. Other types of wetlands include vernal pools, wet meadows, tidal salt marshes, bogs and fens. California has representative examples of each of these unique ecosystems (with the exception perhaps of the classic northern peat bog) but we don't have anything quite like the cypress-tupelo swamps of the southeastern United States. South Carolina's swamps were, for me, an entirely new experience.
With our home base in Charleston (Mount Pleasant, to be specific) we visited the I'on Swamp in the Francis Marion National Forest, Four Holes Swamp at the Audubon Center at Beidler Forest, the Caw Caw Swamp at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center, and Congaree National Park, which boasts the largest tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest left in North America. We hiked nearly 10 miles through these various swamps, in rain and shine (and let me tell you: a swamp in the rain is a special experience!), counting a few dozen species of birds, most of which were new to me. In addition to new birds, I had plenty of new plants to make acquaintances with as well!
In the wettest parts of the swamp, bald cypress and tupelo are the dominant trees. Loblolly pine also grows in slightly drier places, while dwarf palmetto and switch cane often cover the ground.
As far as trees go, the arboreal poster child for the swamp is most certainly the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum). These towering trees produce clusters of "knees" around each tree, which grow up out of the water like tapering fingers. Scientists are inconclusive about the function of cypress knees, but they have noted that they grow in direct proportion to the amount of water around the tree; cypresses growing on dry ground don't produce knees. The trees may use their curious projections as structural support during times of high wind or flooding, storage space for starches produced by the trees through photosynthesis, or "snorkles" to facilitate gas exchange between the air and roots, even when the roots are under several feet of water. Additionally, a number of birds use the knees as convenient perches, and, quite frankly, they just look super cool.
As the natural habitat of the bald cypress is by definition a place that is frequently flooded, the trees have another notable adaptation, in addition to their knees, to help them survive. Bald cypress wood is naturally resistant to water and rot, allowing it to resist decay and remain in excellent condition even after a century or more of use. For this reason, bald cypress wood has been a very attractive commodity to humans, first used by native tribes for building canoes, and later exploited by loggers for use in a number of places where rot-resistant wood is invaluable, such as roofs, docks and bridges.
Bald cypress is the tree's knees! (Oh, what a terrible pun...)
Adding to the mysterious atmosphere of South Carolina's swamps, these wild wetlands are the historic home of two species of birds that are possibly - or probably - extinct: the legendary Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and Bachman's Warbler. (Sightings of both have been extremely rare and entirely unconfirmed in recent years; it has been decades since there has been a confirmed sighting of either species.)
Birds more likely to be seen when venturing into the swamps of South Carolina include the striking Pileated Woodpecker and the brilliant yellow Prothonotary Warbler (also called the "swamp canary"). Listen for the song of the Carolina Wren and the chatter of the Tufted Titmouse. Egrets and herons hunt in the shallow waters, while Barred Owls and Red Shouldered Hawks perch silently above.
 |
| Prothonotary Warbler NOT my photo! I tried and failed to get a decent photo of this beauty. But I just had to share a picture of this incredibly striking bird, also known as a swamp canary! Accessed from Audubon.org. Photo credit: Rick and Nora Bowers/VIREO |
Reptiles are also abundant in the swamps, and like reptiles everywhere, those that dwell in swamps command our respect but certainly don't deserve our fear. Most notorious of course are the alligators (we saw quite a few on our hikes, completely content to mind their own business), along with Carolina Anole lizards, Five-lined Skinks, Snapping Turtles, Yellow-bellied Sliders, and venomous Cottonmouths. (Again: be aware, be respectful.)
 |
| A decently large American Alligator at Congaree National Park |
Squirrels scamper through the treetops, river otters glide quietly through the water, and raccoons fish along the water's edge. All told, over 300 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish live in the swamp, to say nothing of the insects and arachnids found here!
 |
| A young raccoon at Beidler Forest |
Actually, I will say something, briefly, about the arachnids found here! The Golden Silk Orb-weaver, a type of spider whose female individuals easily attain the size of an adult's palm, builds enormous webs in forest opening and along the edges of trails. We saw dozens of them while hiking through the swamps! But like most spiders, they look more fearsome than they really are, and they are essentially harmless when left alone.
 |
| Golden Silk Orb-weaver at I'on Swamp (though we saw these in every swamp we visited!) |
Threats to cypress-tupelo swamps are many. Because of the attractive rot-resistant qualities of bald cypress wood, swamps have been extensively logged; very few old-growth bald cypress trees are still around today. As with other wetlands, damming, draining, channeling and filling of swamps is an ongoing project in many areas. The cleared, drained and filled former swampland is then turned into agricultural land or developed further for housing or industry. And of course, simple, old-fashioned pollution continues to be an ever-present threat.
So, you may think, if the wood harvested from cypress swamps is so valuable, and the cleared land able to be "reclaimed" (I hate that term) and "put to good use," then why not? Why not exploit these resources and make full use of the land?
To put it simply, because swamps are valuable just the way they are.
Swamps are more than mysterious backwaters, wastelands waiting to be made profitable. In addition to their intrinsic value, they provide a number of ecosystem services that, when managed well, will continue to benefit humans and the environment for decades to come. In addition to providing timber, swamps and other wetlands act as filters to clean pollutants from the water; as sponges to absorb excess water and control flooding; as sinks to capture carbon dioxide; and as veritable oxygen factories. Additionally, swamps provide unique habitat for an array of rare, threatened and endangered species, as well as beautiful, peaceful places for our own recreation, contemplation and overall enjoyment.
Thankfully, there are patches of South Carolina's cypress-tupelo swamps that have been restored and preserved so that visitors might come to understand and appreciate these unique and beautiful ecosystems. I highly recommend a visit to one of the places I mentioned above:
Caw Caw Interpretive Center, with an excellent visitor center and over 6 miles of trails looping through a variety of habitats, including swamp, bottomland forest and former rice fields. We especially loved the 1.2 mile Swamp Sanctuary Trail, which includes an elevated boardwalk.
Audubon Center at Beidler Forest, a bird and wildlife sanctuary preserving the world's largest virgin cypress-tupelo swamp forest. Walk on the 1.75-mile boardwalk loop through the forest and prepare to be amazed! We loved this place. Even if you never plan to visit, I recommend watching this video to appreciate the unique beauty of the swamp.
I'on Swamp Interpretive Trail in Francis Marion National Forest, a 2.5 mile loop through swamp habitat along embankments built in the 1700's by slaves for rice production.
Nearby, the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center has displays, trails, and red wolves, a species which historically inhabited this area.
Congaree National Park, protected under the national park system since 1976. Take a walk on the 2.4 mile Boardwalk Loop Trail, which begins at the Hampton Visitor Center.
I'm sure there are many other places to visit the swamp as well; these are just a few that we found and thoroughly enjoyed on our brief visit!
 |
| The boardwalk beckons at Beidler Forest: Come take a walk in the swamp! |
I treasure the short time I was able to spend in the swamp: the songs of warblers filtering down through the dense canopy, a brilliant kaleidoscope alive with every shade of the most vivid green; the distant drumming of a woodpecker and haunting call of a Barred Owl; an alligator gliding silently, stealthily, harmlessly through a quiet backwater; the sun reflecting off the intricate patterns of the largest spider web I've ever seen; the reflections of towering trees shimmering on the surface of still, black water; knobby cypress knees rising from the water to contribute to the other-worldly feeling of this magical place.
I hope for your sake that you, too, are able to experience one of these special wetlands!
* Bring Deet and you'll be fine. Use anything else, and you'll end up with 54 mosquito bites, a dozen stinging ant bites, and a swarm of biting flies that won't leave you alone. Ask me how I know.
I *LOVE* this article. (But “shhhhhhhh”). :) You are giving away the secret! In my opinion, the swamps are the most glorious places in South Carolina, and your writing very much matches my experience. I spend any free moment I get in the swamp. Have you tried it at night on a kayak? It becomes a whole other environment. Utterly peaceful. Bats and dragon flies exercising their wings with a starry night silhouetting them. (and eating mosquitos as a bonus). Bull frog and alligator eyes reflecting light from your headlamp. Owls hooting, coyotes hollering. It comes even more alive. And fills your soul with peace. All of those “wild and vicious things” at night are still very shy and will not bother you. I highly recommend that you Kayak a tract several times in the daytime until you know it like the back of your hand. And then try it at night. You will thank me later.
ReplyDeleteThank you!! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Next time we visit, we will have to try it by kayak for sure!
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