Autumn Blooms
Autumn Blooms by Emma Reid Here are a few flowers that bloom in the fall that I identified the other day out on a swamp tour. Late Goldenrod, Solidago altissima, L. Goldenrod’s piney-tasting leaves and flowers are an important medicinal remedy for the urinary, digestive, and respiratory systems. The goldenrod tribe encompasses one hundred species of late-blooming,…
Upstream Color
Upstream Color The Environmental Death of the Mississippi by Josh Jack A diesel spill in New Orleans this Thursday made front page headlines in the Times-Picayune: an estimated 4,200 gallons of diesel fuel was released when a cargo vessel collided with a pier near the Nashville Avenue Wharf. And yet, as Coast Guard helicopters circled…
Butt-breathing Turtles
Butt-breathers by Emma Reid Sure you may think Louisiana has pretty mild winters, but do not underestimate how cold our swamps get with all that cool freshwater coming from up north. Dip your toes in from the kayak and you’ll see. Now, imagine being a turtle in Louisiana or even in Minnesota under ice for…
Autumn photo recap
Autumn photo recap by Ross Baringer In the fall marsh marigolds draw butterflies into the swamps of the Pontchartrain Basin. The red-shouldered blackbirds, who build the most intricate nests in the spring, spend the cooler autumn months gathering in noisy gangs sometimes hundreds of birds strong. The ever-present barred owls take advantage of the receding…
A Louisiana summer in swamp photos
A Louisiana summer in swamp photo color. by Ross Baringer The American alligator is undoubtedly the most famous resident of Louisiana swamps. Hollywood has given this animal a monstrous reputation, and while it is a dangerous predator it tends not to be aggressive. Alligator attacks are rare. Eco-swamp kayak tours provide a great way to…
Understanding vs. Fear
Understanding vs. Fear Breaking down our misconceptions about swamps. By Ross Baringer Swamps have carried a negative connotation and inspired fear for centuries, even in Louisiana where most of our culture is in some way connected to that environment. In literature and film they are often portrayed as dark festering areas full of evil….
“Who hoots for you?”
“Who hoots for you?” by Ross Baringer You don’t have to spend much time in a cypress swamp to realize that every inch of the place is overflowing with life. Millions of organisms are whirling along the repetitive course of their little life-cycles – birth, life, death, rebirth rolling on and on in perpetuity. Things both…
Southern Louisiana. ‘Our Natural History in Verse’
Southern Louisiana ‘Our natural history in verse’ by Josh Jack A land shaped in a welter of silt and mud churned from the heart of the continent by the Mighty Mississippi: gouged by rivers, bayous, and canals, and stitched together by the knees of the Bald Cypress. When the floods came they heaped and scoured…
An Easter Egg for Louisiana Bird Lovers
An Easter Egg for Louisiana Bird Lovers by Ross Baringer Spring is a season long associated with renewal and new life, and the egg has always been a symbol of that season. People have been decorating eggs as part of spring rituals since ancient times, as evidenced by engraved ostrich eggs found in Africa which…
Honey Island Kayak Swamp Drone Footage
It was a little tighter in the swamps to get drone footage, so we have to keep something for a surprise! Discover the Magic of Kayaking in City Park: 5 Compelling Reasons to Dive In The Rise of Regenerative Tourism: Empowering Travelers to Give Back to Nature and Local Communities Bayou Bienvenue: Nurturing Nature’s Haven…