 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.
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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 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. 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  Tillandsia air plants along the brown trail through "The Narrows"; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. DAY 1 - THE BROWN TRAILLeg 2 - "The Narrows" As we paddled west on Billy’s Lake, the waterway tapers and the open blue sky is soon shrouded by vails of Spanish Moss hanging from the cypress trees. A sign marks the entry to aptly named "Narrows." Even on bright days, all is darkened in this watercourse as the Titi and Fetterbush reach in and over your canoe. Rare is the sight of an alligator in this dark passage, but on occasion a young one finds refuge here from the bigger monsters on Billy's Lake. Here is a gloomy tunnel with a swift, dark current. Gnarled tree roots and eerie green beards of Tillandsia air plants add to the macabre décor. As the light decreases, the insect inhabitants increase and soon find that you are a delectable meal. Hiding from the currents behind cypress knees and stumps were circled groups of Whirligig beetles (Genus Dineutus). As our canoe approached, they retreated in almost geometric, zig-zag patterns that were bewildering to the eye. On our return journey through The Narrows back to camp we spotted something I had not expected. A rustling high up in the trees caught our attention, but it was soon dismissed as a squirrel. But as the noise became louder, I turned my head to see a Black Bear rapidly shimmying down from about fifty feet up in a tree, butt first! He hit the ground running before I even had a chance to lift my camera lens. In an attempt to pull our canoe closer into the thickly overgrown bank to spot the bear, I grabbed a small tree. As I leveraged the canoe forward, the tree broke at the base – rotten through from ants or termites - and fell directly toward my friend in the back of the canoe. He pushed it away in time to avoid being knocked on the head, but received a face full of splashing swamp water in return! Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
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 TRAIL
Leg 3 - the strong currents on Mixon's Hammock
Bright rainbow in cloudy blue sky over Mixon`s Hammock canoe trail and cypress trees in swamp prairie. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
If you are successful in your navigation and make it through the treachery of the narrows, the scene opens wide as you enter Mixon’s Hammock. Thick, tall maidencane grasses line each side of the canoe run and patches of slender, young cypress ornament the horizon. The scars of yearly fires that keep this an open landscape remain upon many of the darkened stumps and trees. About midway, the remnants of the extensive logging railroads of the early 1900’s still remain as a series of pylons that cross the path.
Old logging timber railroad pylons in Mixon`s Hammock canoe trail. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. The Okefenokee was vastly logged for cypress timber in the early 1900`s.
Old logging timber railroad pylons in Mixon`s Hammock canoe trail. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. The Okefenokee was vastly logged for cypress timber in the early 1900`s.
My last trip down this section of the brown-trail several years ago had us fighting strong currents with weakened rowing muscles and a dying trolling motor. This day was no different. As the strong current pulled us quickly westward toward The Sill, I knew the return trip would be toiling, even with the motor. The Suwannee is typically slow moving throughout the Okefenokee, but not here on the brown trail. Perhaps it is the open sluicegates of The Sill that cause these extreme currents.
Travelling westward with the current is a joy – lazily allowing the stream to carry the canoe onward as I take in the scenery. But the eastward journey requires digging the oars deep and hard into the waters. Even then, the forward movement is quite slow. Right as I am about to give up and let the canoe drift back to the Sill Recreation Area with thoughts of hitchhiking back to Stephen C Foster State Park, a rainbow appears over the thickening trees ahead. We are nearing The Narrows, and just beyond that will be easy paddling Billy’s Lake back toward camp. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. The brown trail - Mixon's Hammock 
"Ogeechee limes" from the White Tupelo tree (Nyssa ogeche) swept together in the currents of the Suwannee River along Mixon's Hammock; brown kayal trail, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.
Burned cypress tree buttress along Mixon`s Hammock kayak trail. Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. The Okefenokee was vastly logged for cypress timber in the early 1900`s. Seasonal lightning wildfire maintains open prairies 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  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. Multiple trips to the Okefenokee and I hadn’t seen a Pitcher Plant since 1997. So on this May 2020 trip I was going to find and photograph that signature swamp Sarracenia! From what I had read, some of the largest Hooded Pitchers – up to three or four feet – grow in the Okefenokee Swamp. Pitcher Plants are native to North America and found along the coastal plain from North Carolina down into Florida. After three days of paddling and exploring the trails around the Stephen C Foster campground, I finally broke down and had to ask park staff*. “On the way out of the campground, about a quarter mile on the left, just under the 25 MPH sign I flagged off a small patch so the mowers wouldn’t hit them.” And sure enough, there they were! Perhaps I was imagining a more secluded and swamp-like scene to find these carnivorous vegetables, but a roadside ditch will do! *Thanks Ranger Alex for the tip in finding some! See his video on carnivorous plants here https://www.facebook.com/StephenCFosterStatePark/videos/1528119494030477/
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 "Shall we analyze these beautiful plants, since they seem cheerfully to invite us? How greatly the flowers of the yellow Sarracenia represent a silken canopy, the yellow pendant petals are the curtains, and the hollow leaves are not unlike the cornucopia or Amaltheas horn, what a quantity of water a leaf is capable of containing, about a pint! taste of it--how cool and animating--limpid as the morning dew: see these short stiff hairs, they all point downwards, which direct the condensed vapours down into the funiculum; these stiff hairs also prevent the varieties of insects, which are caught, from returning, being invited down to sip the mellifluous exuvia, from the interior surface of the tube, where they inevitably perish; what quantities there are of them!" - Excerpt from William Bartram's Travels, Introduction 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.  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. 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  Green Anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis, climbing a gum tree in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Stephen C Foster State Park. May 2020. An excerpt from A Florida Sketch-Book, by naturalist Bradford Torrey, written in 1895:  Green Anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis, climbing a gum tree in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Stephen C Foster State Park. 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  Sunrise silhouette of Green Anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis, extending pink dewlap. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Stephen C Foster State Park. May 2020. "THERE are several species of the lizard kind besides the alligator, which is by naturalist allowed to be a species of that genus. THE green lizard or little green chameleon is a pretty innocent creature; the largest I have seen were not more than seven inches in length; they appear commonly of a fine green colour, having a large red gill under their throat; they have the faculty of changing colour, which, notwithstanding the specious reasoning of physiologists, is a very surprising phenomenon. " - Excerpt from William Bartram's Travels, Part II, Chapter X 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.  Common Green Anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis, often called a chameleon because of its ability to change from green to brown. Anoles are a common reptile found in the Stephen C Foster campground, trails and nature areas of 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  Juvenile Barred Own perched on a tree stump at sunrise. Birding in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Stephen C Foster State Park Trembling Earth Nature Trail. May 2020. "The evening was however, extremely pleasant, a brisk cool breeze sprang up, and the skies were perfectly serene, the stars twinkling with uncommon briliancy. I stretched myself along before my fire; having the river, my little harbour and the stern of my vessel in view, and now through fatigue and weariness I fell asleep, but this happy temporary release from cares and troubles I enjoyed but a few moments, when I was awakened and greatly surprised, by the terrifying screams of Owls in the deep swamps around me, and what encreased my extreme misery was the difficulty of geting quite awake, and yet hearing at the same time such screaming and shouting, which increased and spread every way for miles around, in dreadful peals vibrating through the dark extensive forests, meadows and lakes, I could not after this surprise recover the former peaceable state and tranquility of mind and repose, during the long night, and I believe it was happy for me that I was awakened, for at that moment the crocodile was dashing my canoe against roots roots of the tree, endeavouring to get into her for the fish, which I however prevented." - 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.  Barred Owl; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 2, 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  Purple spiderwort wildflower blooming in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, USA. An online plant collection from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. May 2-5, 2020. If you see any misidentified or unknown, let me know!  Water pennyworts, Hydrocotyles, are common aquatic plants found near ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes and swamps. Round green leaves with long creeping stem. Photographed in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia USA.  Saw Palmetto, Serenoa repens, flower panicles. Saw Palmetto grows densely in the upland pine areas and hammocks of the Okefenokee Swamp. It is endemic to the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. It has a reported medical use for treatment and prevention of prostate cancer. Photographed on Billy`s Island. Stephen C Foster State Park, Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA.
 Golden wildflower; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. May 4, 2020. |
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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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