This is a Cypress tree root, commonly called a Cypress Knee for obvious reasons. These roots come up around the Cypress trees and we have an abundance of Knees here on the swamp which makes mowing and trimming around the lake a bit of a challenge at times. This summer has been especially hot and dry.
When the water level falls this low, the lake or swamp bed is filled with all kinds of interesting plants and flowers. I thought you might be interested in seeing what is blooming in the Cypress Knee Swamp.
There are spots of this ground cover in places. It is a really pretty color and appears to be a succulent of some kind. I am sorry I can't name of any of these plants. I haven't found a good resource for identifying them.
Isn't this a pretty one?
I think this may be a Button Willow, but not sure.
This, of course, is the Cypress Tree.
This looks a little "other worldly" don't you think?
There are hundreds of these little lavender flowers everywhere.
These tiny stems of white flowers are on grasses and they are blooming in mass.
And there are several spots where this beautiful flower is blooming. I was unable to get a closer shot because I am terrified and I do mean terrified of snakes. I am not brave enough to wade through all the grasses and foliage covering the swamp to get better pictures. I can imagine sneeky snake in there somewhere, just waiting for me to take the wrong step!
(That is also probably why the photo quality of these pictures is not as sharp as I would like. I think my hand was a little more shaky than usual)
Hope you enjoyed a look at what's growing in the swamp!
We finally had a rainshower today, so it probably won't be long before the swamp begins to fill up with water and these blooms will be gone until next summer.
6 comments:
Do you notice the candle flame in the water hyacinth flower?
I love your swamp! And I don't blame you one bit for being cautious. Just glad you take time to stop and "smell the roses" so to speak, and then share what you find:).
love you,
lilsis
Oh my!!! Ross is right....I was so distracted thinking about snakes that I missed it! There is a beautiful candle with a flame!! Lovely;).
Thanks for reminding me, yes, I did notice! but failed to mention it.....thanks for identifying that plant...do you know what the green ground cover stuff is?
Carolyn, I loved all of these, but my favorites are the closeups of the Cypress Tree. I've never noticed the flowers this time of year and they are very unusual. The white ones remind me of delicate little bells and they are such a contrast to the "other worldly" seed pod. I always enjoy seeing your beautiful world through your magical lens.
The second picture appears to be giant salvinia which is an invasive aquatic species. The plant with the leaves that look like spades appears to be a plant called frogbit.
Post a Comment