A few years ago my buddy Andy Crawford invited me down to Louisiana to explore the swamps with him. It was great having a guided tour, and photographing places I'd never see without him showing me. There are no hiking trails here. if you don't have a boat and don't know the bayous, you're not getting here. "Cypress Whispers" Prints available at https://rickberk.pixels.com/featured/cypress-whispers-rick-berk.html
Anecdote about some bad planning and nobody checking with a water engineer restoring some habitat:
Close by to me they built a superfluous four lane road, with all requisite earthworks etc. They didn't take into account how the watershed and nearby water reservoir would react and unintentionally flooded a huge amount of desolate land. Land that had been swamp, but had been dried to make room for suburban development decades ago.
It rather quickly went from slightly soggy to perpetually wet and lush with every snowmelt, and now it's wetlands again!
Developers: we would like profit and more cars here, please
Water: you get a SWAMP
It brings me so much joy. I would assume it brings joy to all the native flora and fauna now living there. I hope it brings you joy, also
Scene with Red-Winged Blackbird, Cherry Creek State Park, Denver, Colorado
Another of our nature stops on our recent trip to Denver. There are many great parks in the Denver area, quite close to or even amid the city. These red-winged blackbirds were anywhere there was water. Their birdsong brought back memories of my childhood in Ohio.
No knees here, a bit further north of the Everglades (near Naples).
But I like the many forms and colors, and that clear blue blue water.
I think I'm enjoying "different" & "abstract" more of late. Realism is lovely in its place. But I'm preferring natural beauty more than the beast(s).our screens.
Oh how much I have exercised #today. My friend and I went to the #gym (they had really good exercise machines there) and after that to the #swimming hall for water #aerobics. And before that we went for a walk in Reposuo #swamp. #suomimastodon#finland
I apologize I've not found (m)any new photos to post recently, as I've been repairing my camera, lens & self. But...
here's a souvenir from my last visit to a favorite Old Cypress swamp: