Peace:
Give yourself
time in Okefenokee to relax, look, listen, nap. Let the swamp
seep into your soul. I took this picture
of Beth on the last morning, after I finished photographing some
Sarracenia psittacina. It took about twenty
minutes to get the photograph set up the way I wanted, so in the
meantime Beth just hung out. Meanwhile, several
alligators around us started their morning bellowings to each other
(hearing that was a marvel, even after four mornings of it).
Shortly afterwards we watched a swallow-tailed kite play in the air.
What a great place. Go see it. But if you do, for God's sake respect
it. I was just recently talking to a carnivorous plant horticulturist
who said he was growing a large number of pitcher plants from the
swamp that he (or a friend, I wasn't quite sure) had poached. Sigh.
The cycle of poaching continues. And still, horticulturists seem
surprised that they are not trusted by conservation workers and preserve
staff.
For your clarification,
removing seeds or plants from Okefenokee Wildlife
Refuge is prohibited. The plants are not yours to take.
Ah, but all trips come to an end, as did this one. That evening we
were back in our cheap motel in Folkston, enjoying deep fried
southern cookin'. The next morning we packed the car and headed west, to
a little pitcher plant bog south of Doerun, Georgia.
