WELCOME TO THE OKEFENOKEE SWAMP...

"Okefenokee Eyes at Dusk" - American Alligator swimming through Okefenokee Swamp at sunset with glowing eyes. Stephen C Foster State Park canal. March, 2015.

The Okefenokee Swamp is a different world; a seemingly untouched, primitive landscape of serpents and dragons; a foreboding, dark land, yet exciting and evoking the urge to explore. The Okefenokee is one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The majority of the swamp lies within the state of Georgia, but straddles the border into Florida. It is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Its Native American name means “The Land of Trembling Earth”.
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I am definitely not an Okefenokee expert, but I am certainly an Okefenokee enthusiast. I am provided the privilege of it lying within less than a half day’s drive from my home. I have visited this intriguing swamp habitat on several occasions; each time paddling a bit further, and each time investigating its details a bit more closely. Herein lies my attempt to keep the memories of these trips from fading by use of journals and photographs. Below is a gallery of my favorite photos, and an index to the nature journal blogs from several adventures in Georgia's wonderful Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. 

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Okefenokee Favorites Gallery

Narrowing down hundreds and hundreds of Okefenokee photographs to a few favorites is a challenge. So I had to pick the top from several catagories. 

OKEFENOKEE LANDSCAPE/HABITAT PHOTOGRAPHY FAVORITES

"Passing through the Curtains" - Kayaking through Spanish moss, lily pads and Bald Cypress trees in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge; Stephen C Foster Georgia State Park. Suwannee River. March 13, 2019

"My Beloved Barque" - Canoe paddle with Okefenokee Swamp Stephen C Foster State Park stickers. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. May 2020.

Canoe trail sign to Big Water and Minnie's Lake. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015.

OKEFENOKEE ALLIGATOR PHOTOGRAPHY FAVORITES

"The Bellowing Bull" Large American Alligator laying in the swamp surrounded by lily pads. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 4, 2017.

"Camouflaged" Submerged American Alligator, Middle Fork kayak krail in Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Stephen C Foster Georgia State Park. March 6, 2017.

Large American Alligator on the Middle Fork canoe trail; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 12, 2015.

Baby American Alligator on floating Spatterdock peat bed, Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 6, 2017.

"Blackwater" - Submerged American Alligator eye swimming in dark, mysterious tannin blackwater swamp among green spatterdock lily pads. Billy`s Lake, Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 11, 2020.

Psalm 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:

Large Alligator Portrait laying on a cypress swamp stump showing teeth and scales. Photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 11, 2020.

"Armoured Above and Below" - An alligator’s body is covered by a dermal exoskeleton of massive, thick, tough horny scales and scutes which protect it like armor. Some are touch sensitive integumentary sensory organs for sensing and locating prey in dark blackwater swamps. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 10, 2020.

Large American Alligator basking on a log in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge; March 13, 2019.

Young American Alligator in Stephen C Foster State Park, Georgia. Okfenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. This gator was in a roadside drainage ditch near the campground. March 16, 2019.

Large American Alligator submerged in blackwater swamp swimming toward camera. Stephen C Foster State Park. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 4, 2020.

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Why is the Okefenokee so dear to me? Since my college days I loved the swamp, alligators, snakes, etc. But the Okefenokee has grown so fond in my heart because of the bonding moments I've shared with my daughter canoeing and camping there. Below is an excerpt from my March 2015 Okefenokee Nature Journals describing why I love the Okefenokee:

Sunset on the swamp...

"Amanda and I are sitting side by side at the end of the boardwalk, our feet dangling above the swamp. An orange setting sun has dropped below the tree line to our left, putting the Cypress trees and Spanish Moss into picturesque silhouette. The fading evening sky is a vibrant blue accented by billowy clouds glowing a purplish-orange from the setting sun. Two Barred Owls are conversing with each other far off behind us, asking each other, 'Who cooks for you? Who cooks for youuuuu?' To my right sounds the rattle of a Kingfisher scanning the pools for one last fish of the day. Amanda is leaning on my shoulder as we peer out into the swamp. A guttural Egret croak breaks the relative silence not too far from our feet, and is followed by a second. A Great Blue Heron is flying slowly at a distance from our right and goes out of sight toward the setting sun. 

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"A small flock of Ibises crosses overhead in the other direction; snow white birds with bold black wing stripes and long, orange, sickle-shaped bills. The solitude is pleasant; nobody else has ventured out on the boardwalk with us. No human voices; no sound of cars, no barking dogs, no beeping texts or ringing phones.  Amanda takes my hand as we walk back toward our campsite. I came for gators and an escape, but this is a real bonus of the getaway:  'Thanks for coming with me, Amanda.'  'Thanks for bringing me.'  'I love you.'  'I love you too, dad.'"

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OKEFENOKEE BIRDING PHOTOGRAPHY FAVORITES

"On the Prairie" - Pied-billed Grebe, Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Mixon's Hammock just west of The Narrows. March 5, 2017.

Anhinga on Billy's Lake with Spatterdock lily pads and Spanish Moss. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 4, 2017.

Immature white Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea, on Spatterdock hammock, Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Stephen C Foster State Park, Georgia. March 5, 2017.

Double-crested Cormorant on a dead snag cypress tree in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Billy`s Lake in Stephen C Foster State Park, Georgia. March 15, 2019.

Pileated Woodpecker, Hylatomus pileatus, large black white and red hidden in swamp Maidencane grass, Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 4, 2017.

Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea, on spatterdock lily pads and maidencane in Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Stephen C Foster Georgia State Park. March 6, 2017.

Juvenile Barred Owl perched on a tree stump at sunrise; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Stephen C Foster State Park Trembling Earth Nature Trail. May 5, 2020.

"Hidden in Plain View" - American Bittern camouflaged in marsh grasses in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 13, 2019.

OKEFENOKEE FLORAL PHOTOGRAPHY FAVORITES

Golden Club, Floating Arum, Never Wet plant relection in blackwater tannin swamp. Okefenokee swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 14, 2019.

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 2, 2020.

American White Water Lily flower blooming on a lily pad in the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia. May 3, 2020.

Southern Blue Flag Iris virginica Swamp Iris is a spring wildflower native to the southeastern United States. Light blue to violet flower. Photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia. March 11, 2020.

Hooded Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia minor. Carnivorous plant that grows in the marshes at the border between Georgia and Florida. Flowering occurs late March to mid-May. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 2020.

Hurrah Bush, Lyonia lucida, is a woody shrub with pink bell shaped flowers. Also known as fetterbush or staggerbush, Photographed in spring in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, USA. March 11, 2020.

Virginia Chainfern, Woodwardia virginica, fern growing from a Cypress buttress in blackwater swamp. Suwannee River Narrows canoe kayak trail in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Photographed May 2, 2020.

OKEFENOKEE CRITTER PHOTOGRAPHY FAVORITES

Raccoon in tree cavity on Billy's Lake. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, USA. March 7, 2017.

Florida Red-bellied Cooter, Pseudemys nelsoni, Okefenokee Swamp Georgia. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge NWR, Georgia. March 10, 2020.

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. Photographed on the Trembling Earth Nature Trail in Stephen C Foster State Park; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 3, 2020.

Bright orange white and black Zale perculta, Okefenokee zale moth. Species of owlet moth. Conservation status imperiled. Photographed on the Suwannee River Middle Fork canoe trail in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 4, 2020.

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A 1997 Okefenokee Flashback... My first Visit

Okfenokee Swamp park entrance sign

In the months following my graduation from UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, a Perfect Pets coworker and I made several trips “day trips” to explore the swamps and look for snakes and alligators. Leaving Athens around 2 AM, we’d drive south five to eight hours, spend the daylight trudging through pine and palmetto, then drive back to arrive home exhausted by 2 AM.
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One such trip brought me on my first visit to the Okefenokee Swamp in January, 1997. We drove to the Okefenokee Swamp Park, a privately run visitor center, museum and park on the northern end of the Okefenokee, 8 miles from Waycross, Georgia. It was a cold, overcast January day with spells of drizzle and rain. We walked the long boardwalk into the swamp to an observation tower and briefly entered the visitor center where sat a mounted, record length gator and a captive Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake.

​Although the visit was brief, I was captivated by the flowing curtains of Spanish Moss, patches of “Cypress knees” surrounding the tall trees, the carnivorous Pitcher Plant, and large groves of Saw Palmetto beneath Longleaf Pines. I fell in love with the swamp that day. But for decades, career and life would consume any ability to make a return to the Okefenokee... until my daughter developed a love of nature when she was twelve. Okefenokee was back in my life... in our lives! 

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OTHER OKEFENOKEE FAVORITES

Young alligator laying on log in swamp, Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Stephen C Foster State Park, Georgia. March 5, 2017.

Large fat bull gator basking along "The Sill" canal; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 5, 2017.

Swimming alligator, blowing mist from nostrils , Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia