92.7/29 The Cypress Gardens of Charleston, South Carolina

The Cypress Gardens were originally part of Dean Hall, one of the Cooper River’s largest and most prosperous rice plantations in the lowcountry. Beginning in about 1720, rice was grown by the “inland” method, using water from the reservoir (now the Cypress Gardens’ swamp) to flood the adjoining rice fields by a system of “trunks” and ditches. In the late 1700’s Dean Hall began to grow rice by the more profitable “tidal” method in fields along the margins of the Cooper River. Early families made their fortunes in the rice trade and built beautiful houses in Charleston seeking relief from the summer heat and fevers. After the Civil War, this life style was no longer supportable.

Fruit of the Bald Cypress Tree,
Taxodium distichum

In 1909 Benjamin R. Kittredge bought the Plantation as a winter retreat. He and his wife gradually had the black water swamp landscaped with thousands of azaleas, camellias, dogwoods, magnolias and native bulbs. They opened the gardens to the public in 1932. A butterfly house, crocodile exhibit and aquarium have been added since.

Included in the modest entry fee ($10.00) is a guided tour from a flat-bottom boat through the swamp.

Guided Tours in a flat-bottomed boat
are included in the admission fee.

Tourists may rent a boat
and explore the swamp on their own

Fragrant Water Lily, Nymphaea odorata floated all around us, bright white blossoms among green pads, but we noticed no sweet scent. The swamp had a woody smell; the fresh water is actually clear. The black color comes from the tannin released by bacteria decomposing the leaves which fall from the Bald Cypress Tree, Taxodium distichum, in the fall.

Although the water looks black,
it is actually clear, fresh water.

According to the guide, alligators will only live in fresh, non-brackish water.

Fragrant Water Lily, Nymphaea odorata

Baby alligator

There are about twenty adult alligators living in the swamp, but they are generally quite shy. We did see one chasing after a young alligator in order to eat it, but the baby got away by hiding in among the lilies. The young alligator in the picture was cute at about 30 inches long.

Great White or Common Egret

Many water birds and raptors find the swamp a hospitable place along with many fish and shrimp plus numerous kinds of frogs and other amphibians.

Pitcher-plant, Sarracenia flava

A small bog with pitcher-plants, Sarracenia flava, is reached by the trail around the swamp. The leaves of this species may be clear yellow-green, or have maroon veins. Such insectivorous plants derive supplementary nutrients from the insects which fall into the leaf funnel. In very wet habitats, the leaves can be over 3 ft. tall; in Cypress Gardens they were about 18 inches tall.

Tranquil scenes were found at each turn.

Voices were hushed as we glided in comfortable silence on the black water among the cypress trees and water lilies.

Cypress knees

Cypress knees are knobby, red, woody projections from the roots that rise above the water level. Formerly thought to supply oxygen to the extensive root system, it is more likely that they serve as supporting structures since knees and buttress-based trunks develop only on trees growing in flooded areas.

Small water passageways invite exploration.

When the sun is shining, photography in a swamp can be very frustrating—the range of brightness is well beyond what film or chip can record, so it always looks unreal. Hollywood solves the problem with hugh generators powering lights brighter than the sun. When we saw that the day was overcast, we made haste to get to the Gardens before the sky cleared. You can see the results in this blog. (The sun did come out in mid-afternoon ending our swamp photography.)

The reflections in black water are awesome.