NSDCA International Camporee, Rayne, Louisiana 2009

Below is a narrative (or comment) of someone having taken a (walking, I think) tour of the La forests \ swamps. I skipped over his entire narrative; but chose what he wrote about the bald cypress. He explains the root system better than I could have done.

Finally I came to the most dramatic part of the swamp: the flooded forest. With its canopy of bald cypress and water tupelo it created a mood of intrigue and mystery. The bald cypress is the monarch of the swamp, growing as high as 100 feet and up to 15 feet in diameter over hundreds of years. One enormous example still remained, left by loggers, to show the grandeur of the original last primeval swamps of Barataria.
The knees of the bald cypress, or pieces of thick root sticking out of the ground, help stop the flow of water and catch soil in the swamp, making them an important part of the ecosystem. The mosses, vines, air and water plants, along with fungi, lichens, algae and ferns envelop the flooded forest, so it seems that every inch of it is alive and growing. Even the small ponds are completely covered with tiny floating plants. A nutria (the swamp's version of a giant rat) darts between the trees, anxious to avoid becoming lunch for larger predators rustling through the undergrowth.
My visit to the bayous of Louisiana was an adventure I'll never forget — and one I'm anxious to repeat.

If You Go...

Cajun Critters Swamp Tour
363 Louisiana Avenue
Westwego, Louisiana 70094
800.575.5578
cajuncritt@aol.com

Bayou Segnette State Park
7777 Westbank Expressway
Westwego, Louisiana 70094
877.226.7652
bayousegnette@crt.state.la.us

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park
419 Decatur Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
504.589.3882