Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge的日誌

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 46607211 - Southern Blue Flag; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 11, 2020. ©williamwisephoto.com

In the spring, there are splashes of purple and blue along the canoe trails of the Okefenokee Swamp. I have primarily found this beautiful Iris along the Suwannee River Middle Fork (red trail) where the channel is still wide, but taller trees provide some shade. The leaves protrude from the water a few feet and the beautiful purple bloom rises just above them. According to a USDA Plant Guide, the Southern Blue Flag swamp iris, Iris virginica, is perfectly suited to the Okefenokee habitat as it prefers wet, acidic, boggy soils. It is native to the coastal plains from Virginia to Louisiana. The source also states that Seminoles may have used this plant to treat shock following an alligator bite.

Excerpt from the 1926 book, History of the Okefenokee, by Hamp Mizell and AS McQueen:

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 30501783 - White-tailed Deer traversing the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 11, 2015. ©williamwisephoto.com

"When Bugaboo Island was first discovered, it was then traversed by various trails and paths made by the numerous wild animals on this particular island. There were quite a lot of deer on this island, and it is said by the oldest inhabitants that very few islands of the swamp had more game than Bugaboo. Although there were several larger, this prairie gives the deer good feeding grounds, as there are several different kinds of water plants that are choice food for deer."

March 13, 2019 nature journal - A loud call breaks the warm, still afternoon air..."

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 21592342 - Pileated Woodpecker in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. March 13, 2019. ©williamwisephoto.com

A loud call breaks the warm, still afternoon air. “Are there monkeys in the Okefenokee Swamp?”, my young daughter asks. “No. That’s a bird”, I tell her. “Watch over there.” In a moment, a flaming red crest appears from behind the trunk of the tree, peering in our direction as it searches another soft spot in the bark to hunt for an insect meal.

“The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the biggest, most striking forest birds on the continent. It’s nearly the size of a crow, black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest” says Cornell’s wonderful website.

I’ve come across several Pileated Woodpeckers in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia; more often hearing them than seeing them. But a few in particular have given me the privilege of a swamp photo session!