Swan Lake Part 2 (and a Cypress Tree for Sunday Trees)

Posted on by Prior...

Hello Blog Readers, here is a second post to share a little more from Swan Lake Iris Gardens in South Carolina. My first post is here.

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The Cypress trees, which inhabit the Southern U.S., can grow to be very old and they have fascinating root nodules.  The nodules are called “knees” or slight bends and they emerge when the tree grows in a wet location. Native Americans used this tree for many medicinal items and the “Talking Tree Path” has audio recordings with facts about different trees in the park. Wonderful for children and adults.

Linked to Sunday Trees #258

 

Cypress Tree Facts:

 

Deciduous Conifer Tree

The Bald Cypress Tree is rare in that it is a deciduous conifer tree and loses its needles during the fall. Before the needles drop off the tree, they turn a brilliant orange color. The tree remains free of needles until the springtime.

Unique Adaptations

When grown in a wet environment, the lower part of the tree trunk forms “knees” or slight bends. These bends are known as “Cypress Knees”. A large taproot makes the tree drought and heat tolerant.

Tree Description

The Bald Cypress Tree has a scientific name of Taxodium distichum. The tree grows to a height of 50 to 100 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide. The tree produces 1 to 2 inch long cones which disintegrate when mature to reveal the large seeds contained in the cone. Most trees do not produce cones until they are at least 30 years old.

Oldest Tree in the World

The oldest Cypress tree is located in Bladen County, North Carolina. The tree is over 1,600 years old.

Bald Cypress trees prefer warm weather, but can grow as far north as the Delaware Bay in the United States. 

In 1963, the Bald Cypress Tree became the official state tree of Louisiana.

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A different view of the fountain from swan lake.

 

Here is a gallery slide show, which includes some of the photos from post #1.

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Here are a couple of the images for those who cannot access the slide show:

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turtles

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Swan Lake Collage for Post #2, with some peeps:

 

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Upper left we have some Carolina Panther fans (note the teal), lower left we have a sweet little girl who kept smiling at us (linked to T’s weekly smile) and upper right, a mother and her son sit and enjoy the park.

Swan Lake collage from Post #1:

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For more information about Swan Lake Iris Gardens – go here.

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Honk! This textured path at Swan Lake, with a mix of feathers, leaves, and gravel, is linked to Narami’s texture.

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38 thoughts on “Swan Lake Part 2 (and a Cypress Tree for Sunday Trees)”

  3. I am glad you put up another the view of the fountain. That is a great view too and the wing is a piece of art work! I am wondering what the meaning of it. The nodules look interesting. The way they pop up from the ground is intriguing (strange sort of way).

    The swan in the last picture is handsome.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi YC – thanks for your comment -esp about the wing because I debated whether or not to add this angle- I have another view of the wing/fountain with my mother waving – but went with this one because it showed the side my part 1 post did not show – so all that to say “thanks” for the feedback.

      and it is a little surreal to walk amidst the “knee” nodules as they emerge like that – and we actually did not spend too much time there, and next time I hope to check out their “chocolate garden” –
      oh and they have either swan species – and some come right up to you and can be aggressive – like the one I labeled “honk” at the end – he was aggressive – !

      “The beautiful black waters of Swan Lake form the setting for the spectacular Iris Gardens. The lake is dotted with colorful islands, and wildlife is abundant. The only public park in the United States to feature all eight swan species, Swan Lake Iris Gardens is also home to some of the nation’s most intensive plantings of Japanese iris, which bloom yearly in mid to late May and last until the beginning of June.”

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I am from south Louisiana — and cypress trees are among my most favorite! The taproot is suppose to be as deep as the tree is tall, and one of the reasons the cypress trees have survived so well despite Hurricanes. I do not know if it still is so — but at one time it was illegal to harvest the knees. Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well thank you for sharing the additional tidbits – and I know the Douglas-fir has similar tap roots – well not necessarily the knees- by establisheddeep root.
      Thanks Becca ❤️😊

      Liked by 1 person

  6. 1,600!!! I’m a Spring chicken 🙂 🙂 Thanks for the information, Y. I had no idea! Although your park looks much wilder I was in a very similar one just yesterday, and there were heaps of cygnets, in all stages. 🙂 Fabulous!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks N – and I thought about some feathers in macro for the texture – but the pathway won – 🙂 – and you are right – texture is everywhere…. it is fun looking for it –

      Liked by 1 person

    1. do you mean new feature? I actually think it has been around for a long while, restlessjo has been using them for a while – and I only recently realized they are a nice way to show a handful of photos. It helped me a lot because for a while I was posting only small and medium images so my posts would load better – but I had a few complaints they were hard to see via a desktop (I guess on a mobile device one could enlarge them easier) anyhow, the gallery seems to be exactly what i needed right now…. and I do think it has been an option since 2014….

      thanks for the compliment too – 🙂 xoxo

      Liked by 1 person

  10. I was surprised to hear that the last bird was a swan! Must be the camera angle. I cannot get over the colour of its feet. Beaut photos (I probably should have visited part one, first) and the nodules are strange things!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well many thanks for your visits today! How fun!
      Feel like I want to serve you some tea and then ask you a few questions !!
      And that last bird freaked me out because he was so aggressive – I will share a little video of it – ok?

      Liked by 1 person

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