 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  Large American Alligator submerged in blackwater swamp swimming toward camera. Stephen C Foster State Park. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 2020. "I saw before me, through the clear water, the head and shoulders of a very large alligator, moving slowly towards me; I instantly stepped back, when, with a sweep of his tail, he brushed off several of my fish. It was certainly most providential that I looked up at that instant, as the monster would probably, in less than a minute, have seized and dragged me into the river. This incredible boldness of the animal disturbed me greatly, supposing there could now be no reasonable safety for me during the night, but by keeping continually on the watch." - Excerpt from William Bartram's Travels Part II, Chapter V William Bartram was a botantist, artist, and nature writer that explored the southeastern United States around the time of the American Revolution (1773-1776). He was a scientist, creationist and Christian that gave glory to the Author for all the wonderful works he observed and documented in his book, Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida.
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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  Two turtle egg shells held in the hand. Turtles dig nests on land and lay eggs in the sand. Nests are often dug up and plundered by predators such as bear, bobcat, raccoon, Billy`s Island. Stephen C Foster State Park, Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. While an adult turtle’s shell is hard and seemingly impenetrable, an unborn turtle’s eggshell is nowhere near as tough. In fact, turtle eggs are a swamp delicacy! From the number of scavenged nests I found on my May 2020 Okefenokee paddling trip, it seems everything eats turtle eggs. Bears, raccoons, skunks, opossums, crows, bobcats and more all dig up and eat this swamp caviar. Since there are reportedly 15 species of turtles in the Okefenokee Swamp, I can’t be sure what species laid the eggs. Perhaps a Cooter, Slider or a Softshell. Either way, the predator that tore open the nest didn’t discriminate! Some turtles are known to lay their eggs inside an active alligator nest in order to receive the protection of the fierce mother gator. 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  Hiking directional sign for the Upland Pine Trail in Stephen C Foster State Park. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia USA. May 2020. By definition, a swamp doesn’t have much high ground not inundated with water. Therefore, there aren’t too many dry hiking trails in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Canoeing and kayaking are the primary means of enjoying this wonderful habitat. There are a couple of islands – Floyds, Billy’s and a few others – where you can stretch your legs. But be prepared for a full day within your boat. The Stephen C Foster State Park does have a couple of trails. Though not extensive, they are nice for enjoying morning or evening birding and botany walks. On my last visit, I concentrated my morning walks along the Upland Pine Trail which skirts the edge of the pine flatwoods. I had a few surprises jump out at me (a bobcat) and listened to the morning chorus of songbirds. But bring some waterproof boots and lots of mosquito spray!  Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, or buzzard or carrion crow, perched on dead tree in blue sky morning sunrise. Nature hike along the Upland Pine Trail in the Stephen C Foster State Park. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Photographed May 3, 2020. An excerpt from A Florida Sketch-Book, by naturalist Bradford Torrey, written in 1895: "I look up from my paper to see a turkey buzzard sailing majestically northward. I watch him till he fades in the distance. Not once does he flap his wings, but sails and sails, going with the wind, yet turning again and again to rise against it,—helping himself thus to its adverse, uplifting pressure in the place of wing-strokes, perhaps,—and passing onward all the while in beautiful circles. He, too, scavenger though he is, has a genius for being graceful. One might almost be willing to be a buzzard, to fly like that!"  Turkey Vulture soaring effortlessly over the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. May 5, 2020. Torrey, B. (1895). Chapter 2: “Beside the Marsh”. A Florida Sketch-Book. From https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/130/a-florida-sketch-book/2361/chapter-2-beside-the-marsh 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  Wildlife Feeding Strictly Prohibited sign. Stephen C Foster State Park campground. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Feeding wildlife can lead to a number of serious problems. Animals accustomed to people often lose their fear of people and can become aggressive. Throughout the Stephen C Foster campground in the Okefenokee Swamp, there are signs warning against the feeding of wildlife. These warnings are no joke. It is now commonly known (hopefully) the dangers of pitching handouts to wildlife. Feeding of bears and alligators causes them to associate humans with food, and that can lead to future adversarial contacts. Typically, it is the animal that eventually loses out. They have to be drugged and relocated, or even killed.  The Savannah River Ecology Lab writes, “Don't feed alligators. This is a most important rule as feeding alligators threatens the safety of both people and animals. Providing food for these wild animals (that are naturally afraid of humans) not only makes them bolder and encourages them to seek out people, it also alters their natural diet in an unhealthy way. Feeding alligators trains them to associate humans with foods. Feeding alligators is punishable by law with fines jail time.” For all of those reasons, I take seriously the admonition to not feed the Okefenokee wildlife… except for a couple of species. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to not feed the mosquitoes and flies! No amount of repellent seems to keep these little bloodsucking critters from feeding on your flesh if you visit the Okefenokee in late spring and summer.  Horsefly; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.  Profile portrait close up of an American Alligator laying in the grass in the Stephen C Foster State Park campground. Showing teeth, scales and details. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 2020. 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 White Water Lily flower blooming on a lily pad in the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia. Nymphaea odorata, also known as fragrant water-lily, beaver root, sweet-scented water lily, is an aquatic plant commonly found in shallow lakes, ponds, bog, swamp and permanent slow moving waters in North America. Medical uses by Native American Indians: rhizomes for coughs and colds, stem for tooth aches. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. One thing that is pleasantly noticeable in the clean and pristine wilderness of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge it the absence of pollution of all types. The light pollution, noise pollution and 'people pollution' (trash) so common is our regular lives is rarely seen, heard or smelled in the Okefenokee Swamp.
Until I attempted recording bird calls, I had no realization of how much noise surrounds us in every day life. Even in my "quiet" subdivision, I had a hard time getting a clean bird recording without the noise of leaf blower, barking dog or cars off in the distance. Except for the occasional airplane that passes far overhead, the noise of man's ingenuity is mostly absent. Until I got an overnight permit to stay at Big Water shelter, I had know real idea how dark "dark" could be, and how bright stars could shine. Without bright parking lots, shopping centers and cities shining nearby, the stars shine brighter in the Okefenokee Swamp. Those distant points of light, which are usually few and far between from an urban viewing point, were so many and so dazzling that even a cellphone camera could record them. And what a joy to paddle for miles and miles and never see a piece of discarded trash or floating plastic grocery bag. On my Saturday morning long runs through my home town, it seems the entire route is littered with trash, like a grotesque bread crumb trail leading to "civilization." Thankfully, it isn't that way in the pristine Okefenokee… and let's keep it that way! Remember to pack out everything you bring in. 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  Stephen C Foster State Park International Dark Sky Park refuge main entrance sign, Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. The Stephen C. Foster State Park on Jones Island comprises a very small portion within the entire swamp. The park was named after Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826 – January 13, 1864), known as "the father of American music." He was an American songwriter primarily known for his parlor and minstrel music; among his best-known are "Oh! Susanna", "Camptown Races", and "Old Folks at Home", which laments about a return to the Suwanee River, whose headwaters make their origin in the Okefenokee swamp.
Way down upon the Swanee River, Far, far away. That's where my heart is yearning ever, Home where the old folks stay. The State Park serves as a great base camp for daily swamp excursions. The campground is comprised of two loops of RV spots with electricity and water spigots. Though somewhat close together, each site is separated by thick brush and saw palmetto, and seems somewhat isolated from neighbors. 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 Black Bear, Ursus americanus, paw print track found in the mud along Georgia hiking trail. Car key shown for scale. Nature hike along the Upland Pine Trail in the Stephen C Foster State Park. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Photographed May 2020. Alligators aren’t the only megafauna of the great Okefenokee Swamp! I’ve made several excursions to the Okefenokee, but have never had the privilege of spotting a bear. I get a bit jealous as I see iNaturalist observations of Black Bears lumbering through the Stephen C Foster campground, or in other places throughout the swamp. Most of my visits to the Okefenokee have been in March, and the bears may still be safely tucked away in hibernation dens at that time, which typically lasts from December to April. But on my May 2020 trip, I came across a long line of tracks on the Upland Pine Trail in the Stephen C Foster State Park.  American Black Bear, Ursus americanus, paw print track found in the mud along Georgia hiking trail. Nature hike along the Upland Pine Trail in the Stephen C Foster State Park. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Photographed May 2020. With their numbers declining because of habitat loss, the Okefenokee is truly a refuge for this handsome ursine inhabitant. The Okefenokee affords them some remote location to get far from their human predators as possible. They are often not seen, as I can attest, more than their signs are discovered. Claw marks on trees and prints in the swamp mud are often the only evidence found of the Black Bear by most Okefenokee visitors. Bears have a varied diet, but are reportedly a major predator of alligator eggs. They are a true omnivore and feast upon the abundant floral and faunal inhabitants in the swamp ecosystem. And, of course, they love honey! They often got the blame for tearing up the managed hives of the swampers that once lived in the Okefenokee.  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 Before the industrialist loggers of the early 20th century arrived, the Longleaf Pine dominated the upland areas surrounding the Okefenokee Swamp. Because of its ability to survive wildfires in its fire resistant “grass stage”, the Longleaf is well suited to the fire prone South Georgia landscape. The thick, grassy clump of needles protects the bud as fire sweeps through.  Longleaf pine, Pinus palustris, is a pine tree native to the coastal plain of the Southeastern United States. Seen here in bottle brush sapling stage. The red-cockaded woodpecker is dependent on mature Long leaf pine forests. Nature hike along the Upland Pine Trail in the Stephen C Foster State Park. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Photographed May 3, 2020. It can remain in the grass stage for years, but once the root base is established, it will rapidly take off into the “bottle brush” stage – a four-foot tall, branchless seedling that resembles a cobweb duster. It may stay in this stage for a period of time, but can adequately take in needed sunlight by staying above the lower scrub and vegetation.
After about 30 years from germination, the Longleaf Pine stands tall and nearly branchless up to the crown, resembling a green topped telephone pole. Mature stands of Longleaf Pine are essential habitat for the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. 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  Close up of Bar Winged Skimmer, Libellula axilena, dragonfly. It is found in North America, dragonflies are abundant throughout the warm season in the swamp. They have large compound eyes and intricately veined wings. Photographed on the Trembling Earth Nature Trail in Stephen C Foster State Park; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 3, 2020. Skimming all throughout the Okefenokee are the gorgeous Odonata. The dragonflies adorn the swamp with their vibrant greens and blues. In the heat of the day, when most of the birds hide and the alligators sink in the cooler waters, the dragonflies are constantly buzzing about. If your camera’s autofocus is worthy, and your skill at tracking fast moving critters is even more worthy, you just might catch a flight shot. Not me… for now, I’m happy to get a photograph if one stays on a perch long enough!  Common Green Darner, Anax junius, dragonfly. One of the most common and abundant species throughout North America, dragonflies are abundant throughout the warm season in the swamp. They have large compound eyes and intricately veined wings. Photographed on the Trembling Earth Nature Trail in Stephen C Foster State Park; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 3, 2020. Despite their innocent looks, and harmless alighting upon an extended finger, dragonflies are voracious carnivores! In fact, their insectivorous habits gave them the name odonata, which is Greek for “toothed”. And I suppose cannibalism isn’t out of the question, as I have once sat and watched a darner devouring another dragonfly head first. Strange Lives of Familiar Insects claims a dragonfly can ingest their own body weight in 30 minutes.  Close up of Bar Winged Skimmer, Libellula axilena, dragonfly. It is found in North America, dragonflies are abundant throughout the warm season in the swamp. They have large compound eyes and intricately veined wings. Photographed on the Trembling Earth Nature Trail in Stephen C Foster State Park; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 4, 2020. But in a dog-eat-dog world, sometimes the predator can become prey...  Giant Lichen Orbweaver, Araneus bicentenarius, trapped and eating a dasher dragonfly in a web. Found on the Trembling Earth Nature Trail in Stephen C Foster State Park, Georgia. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. May 2020.  Irridescent blue Bar Winged Skimmer dragonfly on Fetterbush branch, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 4, 2020.  Blue Dasher Dragonfly; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 4, 2020. 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  Spider Web in woven in morning grasses. Found on nature hike along the Upland Pine Trail in the Stephen C Foster State Park. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Photographed May 2020. Each Okefenokee morning, the signs of the night creatures are evident throughout the swamp. From tracks in the mud, to watery trails through the sphagnum moss, and down to the delicate details, a careful inspection reveals much about the inhabitants of the swamp. As the orange glow of morning passes over the Okefenokee uplands, numerous webs glint and glisten across the grasses as the sun rises. Their delicate designs are highlighted by the descent of morning dew that adds crystalline droplets to each strand of the web. But the finespun designs will disappear as they tatter in the afternoon heat. Their delicate beauty passes away… until re-spun as darkness settles once again.  Spider Web in woven in morning grasses. Found on nature hike along the Upland Pine Trail in the Stephen C Foster State Park. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Photographed May 2020. 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 White Water Lily flower blooming on a lily pad in the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia. Nymphaea odorata, also known as fragrant water-lily, beaver root, sweet-scented water lily, is an aquatic plant commonly found in shallow lakes, ponds, bog, swamp and permanent slow moving waters in North America. Medical uses by Native American Indians: rhizomes for coughs and colds, stem for tooth aches. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. "A man who has spent his entire life in and near the Swamp describes the setting of Gannet Lake as follows: From this lake one can look across a five-mile stretch of prairie and see the large green lily leaves floating around and the magnificent white bonnet lily blooms, which look as white as snow, shaded by the green leaves, and can also see trees here and there draped with long wisps of gray moss, all making one of the most beautiful landscapes ever been held by the eye of man.” - Excerpt from the 1926 History of the Okefenokee Swamp by AS McQueen and Hamp Mizell; page 50.
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  Dead cypress tree snag with large woodpecker holes; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. The flooded prairies and hammocks of the Okefenokee Swamp hold acre after acre of standing, dead wood. An abundance of snags (dead trees) means abundant woodpeckers. There are currently eight species of woodpecker found in the Okefenokee, and one formerly occurring species - the Ivory Billed Woodpecker - that is now extinct. The excavations of the Okefenokee woodpeckers creates suitable habitat and nest cavities for other birds and wildlife as well. Taylor Schoettle writes, “Without the Pileated’s carpentry, there would be few natural cavities large enough for wood ducks to rear their young. There is hardly a time when visiting the Okefenokee that this grand woodpecker is not encountered.” (A Naturalist’s Guide to the Okefenokee Swamp; Sea to Sea Printing and Publishing, 2002). 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  Yellow Water Lily pad, Nuphar luteum, also called bonnet lily or spatterdock. Mixon`s Hammock and River Narrows on the Suwannee River canoe kayak trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Photographed May 2020. "WE approached the savanna at the South end, by a narrow isthmus of level ground, open to the light of day, and clear of trees or bushes, and not greatly elevated above the common level, having on our right a spacious meadow, embellished with a little lake, one verge of which was not very distant from us; its shore is a moderately high, circular bank, partly encircling a cove of the pond, in the form of a half moon; the water is clear and deep, and at the distance of some hundred yards, was a large floating field (if I may so express myself) of the Nymphea, with their golden blossoms waving to and fro on their lofty stems. Beyond these fields of Nymphea were spacious plains, encompassed by dark groves, opening to extensive Pine forests, other plains still appearing beyond them." - Excerpt from William Bartram's Travels; Part II, Chapter VI William Bartram was a botantist, artist, and nature writer that explored the southeastern United States around the time of the American Revolution (1773-1776). He was a scientist, creationist and Christian that gave glory to the Author for all the wonderful works he observed and documented in his book, Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida.  Yellow Water Lily pad, Nuphar luteum, also called bonnet lily or spatterdock reflected in the black water of the Okefenokee Swamp. Mixon`s Hammock and River Narrows on the Suwannee River canoe kayak trail. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Photographed May 2020. 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  Open prairie swamp ecosystem of maidencane grass, blackwater river, and towering cypress trees. Suwannee River canoe trail in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Photographed in Mixons Hammock prairie swamp. May 2020. Excerpt from the 1926 History of the Okefenokee Swamp by AS McQueen and Hamp Mizell:
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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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