Francis Beidler Forest / Four Holes Swamp Field Trip

Today we visited Francis Beidler Forest located in Harleyville, SC. Inside the forest is Four Holes Swamp, which is the same swamp we named our homeschool after. It's the largest remaining strand of virgin baldcypress-tupelo gum swamp forest in the world, and it's one of the only two cypress/tupelo swamps in the world. There are tress in this swamp that are over a thousand years old. We first learned that a swamp isn't always wet, and that the amount of rainfall has an effect on the water levels. There wasn't much water for us to see on our visit, perhaps we will go back in the spring when there is more water. Our guide pointed out the dwarf palmetto, and said that when you see them it's an indicator that water was nearby. She said they are often found growing on the dry side of the swamp. On our adventure through the swamp we leaned how to identify a cypress tree vs. a tupelo tree. If you look at the trunk of a tupelo tree it twists upward, while the cypress climbs straight up into the air. We also cracked open a cypress cone to see the seeds inside of it. It's amazing that such giant tress were once such tiny seeds. The cypress trees have projections out of the ground commonly called "knees", and these are a part of the tree's root system. We were surprised to learn that it takes certain conditions for a cypress tree to survive. Too much water can be detrimental to the cypress growth, therefore they are most likely to survive during a dry spring. Cypress seedlings usually cannot withstand more than a month of total submergence. Did you know after cypress trees age they begin to undergo a chemical process that makes the tree resistant to insects & rot? The water in the swamp is actually quite clean, but from looking at it you wouldn't think so. The swamp acts as a natural filter, and filters out sediments and pollution. We took a sample of the water to see just how clear it was. Swamps are most valuable because they help in reduced flooding by acting as a sponge to absorb water. They also provide protection from damage that could be cause by hurricanes by acting as a buffer against storm surge. In other words, swamps slow the water down & act as a holding tank until the water disperses. With all that said, trees & water aren't the only things you'll see in a swamp. Swamps are a unique habitat for all kinds of swamp critters. Snakes, alligators, turtles, and owls... Oh my!!! The swamp is home to a wide variety of wildlife, however during our visit only a few of them showed themselves. We saw only one alligator, a butterfly, a lizard, several turtles, a few caterpillars, a couple of spiders, and we were even lucky enough to catch a quick glimpse of a deer. We didn't see any birds, but we could certainly hear them!!! We were able to see where wild hogs had been rooting around in the ground. We were also very happy that there were not many mosquitos around to bite us. Our trip to the swamp was very educational, and one of the best field trips I've ever been on. Hope you enjoyed the blog, and take a look at the pictures by clicking on them to make the larger!!! To view a slide show of all the photos click the following link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=904nksa.5nl643ru&x=0&y=lzz659&localeid=en_US

Waiting for everyone to get there...

Making friends...

Off we go...

Cypress Tree

Cypress cone broken open to see the seeds...

The Swamp

Imagen, Addie, & Reagan

Reflection of the tree in the water...

Laughing it up...

Isn't nature pretty?

Cypress Knees - part of the root system...

Yours Truly... Me

Imagen shows us how clear the water is underneath the green film...

The girls again...

The Lake