Today is The Swamp Tour! I had no preconceived notion what a swamp tour was going to be, but this tour was not what I expected… My picture of a swamp was an area of low-lying, muddy, bug-infested, uncultivated ground where water collects; a bog or marsh. I think mud, puddles, stagnant, smelly water, and dangerous critters – bugs, snakes, and alligators…
In reality, the better definition is that a swamp is a forested wetland. Many swamps occur along large rivers where they are critically dependent upon natural water level fluctuations. Other swamps occur on the shores of large lakes. The swamp we toured was both – adjacent to a large lake and fed by a bayou (a slow moving, muddy river).
But as for my preconceptions, I did not expect this…!
We boarded a boat with 25 of our friends and slowly cruised though the forest. The water was covered with green stuff, what most people would call pond scum or algae. It is neither…
The reality is this: it is Lemna Minor, or duckweed. If you look closely it is like tiny water lilies; it forms an archetypal river scene of muddy, green waters lazily flowing under bald cypresses and water gum tupelos. That’s what these trees are.
Duckweed is a very natural part of the enclosed environments of such swamps, and is a valuable source of protein for animals that consume it, notably most kinds of waterfowl. It has more protein than soybeans, and some parts of the world actually raise it commercially as a food crop. To our “manicured lawn” mentality, it appears to be scum, the sign of stagnant water, as it no doubt did for generations of settlers who avoided swamps like the plague. The ducks and other birds apparently disagree.
The swamp was quiet, cool, bug-free, and odor-free. It was a beautiful, quiet time to contemplate the beauty of a fully functioning ecosystem. The water here is 1′-2′ deep, but during spring flooding it can rise another 4′-5′. The adjacent lake, in contrast, is 8′-10′ deep normally.
As we floated along we saw wonderful vistas into the forest…
These larger plants growing along with the duckweed are an invasive species, and the State does eradicate it when necessary…
We saw birds. Lots of birds. The tour bordered on a bird sanctuary where we could see hundred of nesting egrets. We also saw ibis, heron, and ducks…
And, yes, we saw a small alligator. Normally, on warm days, alligators are everywhere. But today is cold and the water is warm. so the alligators stay underwater as much as possible…
We spent two hours on the swamp. It was delightful, something that should not be missed if you have the opportunity…
We returned to the docks:
We drove back into “downtown” St. Martinville. Another totally dead town… We ate at Clambaugh’s – sort of an event venue with no decoration or atmosphere at all, but pretty good food. Then we walked over to the cultural center to see more displays of the Cajun and Creole cultures. Interestingly, there were three or four exhibits that purported to explain the difference between Creole and Cajun, and they all contradicted each other…
As best as I could figure, Cajuns are descendants of the Acadians who were deported from Nova Scotia in the late 18th century. Creoles were here when the Acadians arrived. There are Creole who are white and there are Creole who are people of color – African, Spanish, Mexican, Indian. They all seemed to assimilate until the Civil Rights movement in the 1960 encouraged them to reclaim some of their ethnic heritage.
Also at this location we saw the Evangeline Oak, made famous by the Longfellow poem, “Evangeline”, about Acadian lovers who were separated during the Nova Scotia deportation and who tragically meet again here. The poem is based on a semi-true story.
We had another stroll along The Bayou Teche…
We returned to the Villa. We had another Drivers Meeting, and we turned in early. It was cold!
And an enjoyable time was had by all…
Adventures in the Villa 