 Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message An excerpt from Suwannee River, Strange Green Land by Cecile Hulse Matschat, 1938.  Bald Cypress tree buttress with Spanish Moss in blackwater swamp with lily pads. Nature photography from the Middle Fork Suwannee River (red trail), Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. October 23, 2020. ©www.williamwisephoto.com “The birthplace of the Suwannee is in Georgia, deep in the somber heart of the Okefenokee Swamp. Grotesque, bottle-shaped cypress trees, sixty to ninety feet in height, with wide-spreading tops, reach upward from the wine-colored water and form a canopy so dense that only a weird green light dapples the floor of the forest. Everywhere long banners of Spanish Moss hang down from the living trees, hiding their feathery foliage from the sight of man and covering up dead stumps.” Cecile Matschat’s work published in 1938 by the Literary Guild of America is full of colorful stories of the Swampers that lived in the Okefenokee, exciting folklore encounters with bear, boar and cannibal alligators, as well as scientific descriptions of the flora and fauna of the great swamp. It a worthwhile purchase if you come across a used copy of this collectible out-of-print treasure of Okefenokee literature.
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Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Alligators have large external ears that can hear above water and sense vibration under water. The ears are covered by a watertight ear flap seen as a slit just behind the eye that the alligator can open and shut. Bony plates inside the skin, called osteoderms or scutes, make the skin very tough and hard. Large alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.  An American Alligator`s feet are covered in scales and have sharp claws. Alligators have five partially webbed toes on both front legs and four webbed toes on the back legs. Alligator feet have been used as good luck charms for magical powers. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.  An American Alligator`s body hide is covered in watertight scales. Alligators have bony plates inside the skin, called osteoderms or scutes, make the skin very tough and hard. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.  An American Alligator`s body and tail is covered in scales. Alligators have bony plates inside the skin, called osteoderms or scutes, make the skin very tough and hard. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.  Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message DAY 2 - THE RED TRAIL Eastern Phoebe songbird perched in a cypress swamp. Sayornis phoebe breeds in North America. Birding wildlife photography from the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. Being our only full day for this three-day excursion, we paddled up the Middle Fork Suwannee River (red trail). I wanted to show David some of the beautiful, darker, greener areas of the cypress swamp. • Friday, October 23, 2020  Bald Cypress tree buttress with Spanish Moss in blackwater swamp with lily pads. Nature photography from the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.  A juvenile American Alligator showing detail of scales, integumentary sensory organs, vertically elliptical pupil. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. Upon our return toward evening, storm clouds began to gather over Billy's Lake. We could see sheets of rain pouring from the clouds off in the distance, but only received a light sprinkling as we toiled at the oars to get back to the Stephen C Foster State Park boat ramp.  A Pied-billed Grebe swimming among maidencane and Spatterdock Yellow Bonnet Lily Pads in the Okefenokee Swamp. Podilymbus podiceps, also called a dabchick, is a duck like water fowl. Wildlife birding photography on Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  An American Alligator`s body hide is covered in hard, boney watertight scales. Alligators have bony plates inside the skin, called osteoderms or scutes, make the skin very tough and hard. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. All along its back - from neck to tail - the American Alligator is armored with bony scales called osteoderms. Also called scutes – derived from a Latin word meaning “shield” - these osteoderms are arranged in rows below the alligator’s thick, leathery skin. Each osteoderms is almost square-like and has a high ridge through the middle of the upper surface called a keel. The rows of keels are what give the alligator that “spiked” appearance. Not only do the osteoderms act as protective armor, but they also help with thermoregulation. The osteoderms are porous, and not solid bone. They are networked with blood vessels and can act as heat exchangers to warm up or cool down this “cold-blooded”, or ectothermic, reptile. Chen IH, Yang W, Meyers MA. Alligator osteoderms: mechanical behavior and hierarchical structure. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2014;35:441-448. doi:10.1016/j.msec.2013.11.024 Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Cone shaped Bald Cypress tree knees covered in green moss in a dark swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens have knees from the roots for stability in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. There is no solitude like sitting in a dark cove within the Okefenokee Swamp. The dark water of the Suwannee River travels swiftly causing swirling eddies behind the stumps of cypress logged generations ago. Thick fetterbush and Tupelo form a tunnel overhead. Beams of dappled sunlight peak through the vegetation to illuminate the swamp details: dark shadows under cypress buttresses… brilliantly deep green mosses upon their knees… Bartram's airplant clinging to stems and trunks… whirligig beetles skimming the blackwater surface. Silence. Solitude. Swamp.  Cone shaped Bald Cypress tree knees covered in green moss in a dark swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens have knees from the roots for stability in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA.
Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Cone shaped Bald Cypress tree knees covered in green moss in a dark swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens have knees from the roots for stability in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. Excerpt from the 1875 Okefenokee Exploration by The Atlanta Constitution:
In 1875, The Atlanta Constitution published the dramatic headline: “We now announce to our readers, and the people of Georgia, that we are fitting up an expedition for a complete and thorough exploration of Okefinokee. The full details of the plan and expedition will be published soon – if they come out alive.” Over the next months, the paper released many exciting stories from the Okefenokee Swamp Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  American Alligator swimming submerged showing eyes, nostrils and transverse row of epidermal scutes above the water. American Alligator photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. Paddling upstream, against a slow but constant current, the canoe run gets darker. The senses are lured into believing that dusk has arrived. Little sunlight penetrates the thick vegetation. Barred Owls, typically creatures of the night, are calling aloud. Like skeletons draped in aged rags, the overhanging Cypress limbs become more and more covered with Spanish Moss, until practically nothing of the host tree is visible. But is isn’t yet much past noon! You glide along the river in silence. Then something big and rough brushes the bottom of the boat. No shape or figure can be seen in the tannin blackwaters. Is it just the rough bark of a fallen tree? Or the boney hide of a large alligator? • Middle Fork Suwannee River; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refug. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message Dark tannic waters reflect the upper world perfectly. The mirror-like blackwater displays inverted Cypress Trees and Spanish Moss without flaw. But the glassy dark waters obscure all that lies below the oxygen-rich world in which we reside. What goes about beneath that obsidian-glass surface? What strange fish or slimy siren? What giant crocodilian or slithering serpent just brushed underneath the kayak? What giant chelonian crawls about the floor of that black as night, water? What's behind the glass?  Reflection of a cypress tree and Spanish Moss in a blackwater swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens are found in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Hound Black Mouth Cur mix breed dog. Dog rescue pet adoption photography for local animal shelter. ©www.williamwisephoto.com Excerpt from Francis Harper’s Mammals of the Okefinokee Swamp, published March 1927:
 American Black Bear in Stephen C Foster State Park; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. October 2020 ©www.williamwisephoto.com. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message Even if you don't have your own canoe or kayak, a stay at the Stephen C Foster State Park campground is well worth the while. Even on the short trails there is plenty of wildlife to see. And if you want to get out on the water to see the alligators, there are canoe rentals and tour boat treks.  When we came off the water back at Stephen C Foster in the evening, the Black Bear was again at the dead end of the parking lot near the boat barn. Not sure if it was the same individual as early in the morning, but likely. Obviously it was hanging around quite a bit as it prompted a sign to go up at the ranger station and I overheard several campers talking about it. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Reflection of a cypress tree and Spanish Moss in a blackwater swamp. Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens are found in wetland habitats. Photographed on the Middle Fork Suwannee River red canoe trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message Day 1 - the Brown TrailLeg 1 - paddling west on Billy's Lake to the entrance of The Narrows; 1:30 to 2:15 PM  An American Alligator laying on a log in a dark swamp showing teeth. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. I was accompanied on my fall 2020 Okefenokee adventure by a friend from church. When questioned by others whether or not David could “hang with the Okefenokee”, I reminded them that he had been a missionary in South Africa for five years. If he could hang with rhinoceros and marauding baboons, he could certainly paddle the peaceful Okefenokee. We got an earlier start that I typically have with my daughter and were therefore already in the refuge with our Stephen C Foster campsite erected and on the water by 1:30 PM. Our first evening would be along the brown trail toward The Sill and back.  American Alligator diving into dark swamp water with reflection in tanin stained blackwater. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. My goal this trip was to document individual alligators and to photograph species I had not yet documented during my last trips. Although not a first, a softshell turtle was a promising start to our trek. David quickly proved a keen eye as he spotted it laying upon the peat at the entrance to Billy’s Lake. It dove a bit too quickly under the dark water to capture a good photograph. A Little Blue Heron stood not far to the right.  Turkey Vultures roost in dead cypress tree and Spanish Moss in swamp. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. As we trolled westward toward the Narrows, I was perplexed by the lack of birds. None of the typical Cormorants and Anhingas sat in the cypress. I was hoping fall held higher numbers of waterfowl than our spring and summer visits. Of course, there were plenty of Turkey Vultures, but just a few Great Egrets and Little Blue Herons. The alligators weren’t in great abundance, but not atypical for a hot afternoon on Billy’s Lake. A few lay basking on logs in the more secluded western end of Billy’s Lake. The green Cypress leaves were turning to a rich brown, and decorated with Spanish Moss curtains, Billy’s Lake was a beautiful autumn scene. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia  Spanish Moss curtains hanging on Cypress tree buttress in the Okefenokee Swamp Georgia. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Tillandsia usneoides is an epiphyte that grows on oak and cypress trees.  American Alligator laying on a cypress log in the Okefenokee Swamp, tight dermal scales visible. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Alligator mississippiensis is native to the Southeastern United States.  An American Alligator laying on a log in a dark swamp showing teeth. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.  Close up portrait of American Alligator head, jaws, teeth, scales and vertically elliptical pupil. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.  A close up portrait of an American Alligator laying on a log in a dark swamp showing teeth. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. On the return "home", there were many Turkey Vultures and several Little Blue Herons on Billy's Lake. A few alligators we still out soaking up the last sun of the day. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  Timber Rattlesnake; Stephen C Foster State Park campground, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. In hopes of documenting a few other Okefenokee species I hadn't photographed before, I took some after dark bike rides and walks around the Stephen C Foster State Park campground. The best find was a Timber Rattlesnake, although unfortunately it was dead on the road. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message DAY 1 - THE bROWN tRAILTurn-around point: The Sill Recreation Area  Large American Alligator high walking along The Sill Recreation Area in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. David and I weren’t planning to paddle as far as The Sill, but the strong current of the Suwannee carried us there quite quickly. Being a long, straight, man-made canal, “The Sill” is probably the least scenic waterway I’ve paddled in the Okefenokee, but it certainly has some big gators! To stretch our legs before the afternoon’s return journey to the Stephen C Foster campground, we pulled the canoe on the bank just above the sluicegates and walked to the parking lot below the dam. Right away we spotted five large alligators. The highlight was when one monster across the river “high-walked” from his basking spot down into the water. The Sill is a water control dam built by the Federal government in 1960. It is five miles long and was designed to hold water in the swamp during times of drought. Failing in its intended purpose to control the Okefenokee's water levels, it is now the Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area and is popular for anglers.  American Alligator hiding in the Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message  American Alligator laying on a cypress log on a cypress lake. West end of Billy`s Lake in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Alligator mississippiensis is native to the Southeastern United States. Excerpt from the 1875 Okefenokee Exploration by The Atlanta ConstitutioN "We are receiving applications daily by letter and in person, to join our expedition in the Okefenokee swamp. We desire to state again, that as it is not a pleasure excursion, we must necessarily restrict our party to those who will assist in accomplishing the objects of the expedition. Persons desiring to penetrate the mysteries of this terra incognita must make up their minds to abandon every comfort and prepare themselves to meet the utmost exposure and fatigue while in the swamp. Clothing and shoe leather are treated very unceremoniously by the water and briars and one should consider himself fortunate to come out with enough cloth upon his person to hide his nakedness." - The Atlanta Constitution, October 22, 1875. In 1875, The Atlanta Constitution published the dramatic headline: “We now announce to our readers, and the people of Georgia, that we are fitting up an expedition for a complete and thorough exploration of Okefinokee. The full details of the plan and expedition will be published soon – if they come out alive.” Over the next months, the paper released many exciting stories from the Okefenokee Swamp. |
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In December 1993 I came to know the Designer and Creator of this wonderful planet and its creatures: Jesus Christ.
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