| Virvi |
| Virgin Cypress - Centennials of the Swamp |
Here is Harvey Stern who came out in my area
to measure some of my trees at work. It kind of
gives you a perspective of their size. I was quite
impressed with his fearlessness. He got out in
the swamp in only shorts and tennis shoes to do
his work. He has a site with a registry of trees
that were around at the time of the signing of the
Louisiana Purchase from all over the state.
Check it out at www.lapurchasecypresslegacy.net
to measure some of my trees at work. It kind of
gives you a perspective of their size. I was quite
impressed with his fearlessness. He got out in
the swamp in only shorts and tennis shoes to do
his work. He has a site with a registry of trees
that were around at the time of the signing of the
Louisiana Purchase from all over the state.
Check it out at www.lapurchasecypresslegacy.net
This page is dedicated to what is probably my
favorite part of the swamp, the virgin Cypress
trees. The Bald Cypress is the state tree of
Louisiana. They are related to the Sequoia and
the Redwood and can live to be over 1000 years
old. Bald Cypress was logged in the area from
the 1890's to the mid 1930's. It was used to
build everything from houses and ships to
cisterns, roof shingles and gutters. Cypress
was prized because it is rot and termite
resistant, at least the virgin cypress was.
Second growth cypress, sometimes called
"grow back cypress" doesn't have the same
qualities. Only a few of these Kings remain and
the ones left were left only because they were
hollow and weren't worth cutting down. These
trees are used by many different types of wildlife.
The Bald Eagles build their nest on their tops,
the wood ducks, barred owls and many other
birds nest in the holes. Raccoons and other
critters take shelter in them and the Louisiana
Black Bear hibernate in them.
These cypress were around when Columbus
discovered America. They watched over the
native peoples that gently lived in harmony with
nature. They witnessed Spanish explorers
coming into the area and experienced the influx
of exiled Acadians making a new start here and
living off the land. Some probably took a bullet
or two for a Civil War soldier. We shall never
see a forest of virgin cypress in our lifetime.
Most of the trees are only about 100 years old
and are what grew back after the logging days. I
intend to do a registry of as many of these giants
in my area as possible. I hope to include
pictures, measurements and GPS coordinates.
Come out and witness first hand the awesome
power of these Centennials of the swamp.
favorite part of the swamp, the virgin Cypress
trees. The Bald Cypress is the state tree of
Louisiana. They are related to the Sequoia and
the Redwood and can live to be over 1000 years
old. Bald Cypress was logged in the area from
the 1890's to the mid 1930's. It was used to
build everything from houses and ships to
cisterns, roof shingles and gutters. Cypress
was prized because it is rot and termite
resistant, at least the virgin cypress was.
Second growth cypress, sometimes called
"grow back cypress" doesn't have the same
qualities. Only a few of these Kings remain and
the ones left were left only because they were
hollow and weren't worth cutting down. These
trees are used by many different types of wildlife.
The Bald Eagles build their nest on their tops,
the wood ducks, barred owls and many other
birds nest in the holes. Raccoons and other
critters take shelter in them and the Louisiana
Black Bear hibernate in them.
These cypress were around when Columbus
discovered America. They watched over the
native peoples that gently lived in harmony with
nature. They witnessed Spanish explorers
coming into the area and experienced the influx
of exiled Acadians making a new start here and
living off the land. Some probably took a bullet
or two for a Civil War soldier. We shall never
see a forest of virgin cypress in our lifetime.
Most of the trees are only about 100 years old
and are what grew back after the logging days. I
intend to do a registry of as many of these giants
in my area as possible. I hope to include
pictures, measurements and GPS coordinates.
Come out and witness first hand the awesome
power of these Centennials of the swamp.
Attakapas Adventures Swamp Tours
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Here we are after crossing a pull boat run to
measure a giant. It was 23' in circumference!
It's gonna be hard work, but I'll enjoy every
second of it.
measure a giant. It was 23' in circumference!
It's gonna be hard work, but I'll enjoy every
second of it.
| Attakapas Adventures LLC Captain Ginger A. Rushing 1324 Hwy. 401 Napoleonville, La. 70390 985-369-8588 or 985-637-8923 attakapasadventures@Yahoo.com |
*I am happy to report that WalMart
has decided to stop selling
cypress mulch from Louisiana
January 1, 2008. This is a huge
step toward saving our cypress
forest for future generations as
well as our protection from
hurricanes.
has decided to stop selling
cypress mulch from Louisiana
January 1, 2008. This is a huge
step toward saving our cypress
forest for future generations as
well as our protection from
hurricanes.
