Southern Byways

Today’s Destination… Okefenokee Swamp

by SP on August 30th, 2007

I’m warning you now… you just might see one of these critters. It’s a water moccasin, but there’s lots to check out… alligator, black bear, white tailed deer, sandhill crane, osprey, anhinga, egret, heron, otter, water moccasin (or cottonmouth), raccoon, gopher tortoise, snapping turtle, diamondback rattlesnake, copperhead, coral snake, bobcat, wild turkey, red tailed hawk. Source The plant life sound a lot safer lol… The Black Gum tree sounds interesting!!

The park also features an interesting gadget that you will want to check before heading to the swamp… it has a heat indicator ranging from 1-10… 10 being pretty bad. They have a similar indicator for bugs. As of today, it gives a reading of 7! Source

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1936 to preserve the 438,000 acre Okefenokee Swamp. Presently, the refuge encompasses approximately 402,000 acres. In 1974, to further ensure the protection of this unique ecosystem, the interior 353,981 acres of the refuge were designated a National Wilderness Area. And for those of you who like all things spooky… this swamp has been described as eerie and mysterious! Definitely got my attention!! Source

It is the largest peat-based “blackwater” swamp in North America. The name comes from the Hitchiti okifanô:ki, meaning “bubbling water”, a reference to its spongy bogs. The swamp was formed over the past 6,500 years by the accumulation of peat in a shallow basin on the edge of an ancient Atlantic coastal terrace, the geological relic of a Pleistocene estuary. A word on the spongy bogs… Britt and I went exploring in the woods behind us and came across a swampy area that had this “spongy” feel to it. There is nothing quite as creepy as taking a step and then sinking! Source

Covering approximately 700 square miles of South Georgia and North Florida is a bowl-shaped depression in the coastal plain called The Okefenokee Swamp. Twenty five miles across and forty miles long, Okefenokee is a unique area of primitive wetland which harbors hundreds of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, many of which are endangered or threatened. Plant life in the Okefenokee varies from towering bald cypress to a seemingly infinite variety of water plants. Many of the plants found in the Okefenokee were used by the Indian inhabitants for food and medicine, long before the first Europeans arrived in the area. Early settlers learned from their Indian hosts the value of natural life and balance with nature. Okay, coming across reptiles kind of made me wary, but you are in a swamp. Guess you can take a city girl out of the city… Source

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
Route 2 Box 3330
Folkston, GA 31537
phone: (912) 496-7836
fax: (912) 496-7991

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POSTED IN: Southern Byways, Swamps, Things to See in Georgia