A day on the Gulf is a day in a Shaman's sweat lodge wrapped in heavy wet blankets. The humidity has weight. Out in the bayou, with the 'gators and the tree frogs, it can buckle your knees. But if a little gnome like Yoda can take it, so can I. Besides, there's a whole 'nother world of wildflowers out there.
My previous experience with swamps was limited to occasional forays to small parcels of land in Ohio, and certainly nothing on the scale of these bayous. Because of these, I am familiar with such wet-loving species as Water Lotus (Nelumbo lutea), Golden Club (Orontium aquaticum)and Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), pretty common fare up north. But here, in Yoda's backyard, the variety of swampy wildflowers is amazing...at least to a Yankee like myself.
In roadside muck I've found Spider Lilies (Hymenocallis occidentalis), aptly named for their leggy petals, as well as Swamp Lilies (Crinum americanum), floppy stylized stars growing in dense constellations. Nearby, tall spikes of Pickerel Weed (Pontederia cordota)blossomed like purple-blue flames atop long slender green candles. And further out, in a forest of aquatic green, Water Hyacinth (Eichorinia crassipes) unfolded their purple-pink petals. It was quite a roadside show.
Further investigation deeper in the swamps revealed more wildflowers; more colors. Water Willow (Justicia americana), Few-flowered and Long-leaved Milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata and A. longifolia) added splashes of orange and pink and white like well-stirred pigments splashed across a Jackson Pollock canvas. And then there are the ubiquitous Marsh Pinks (Sabatia stellaris and S. campestris) and Meadow Beauties (Rhexia mariana and R. alifanus), and the Blue Waterleaf (Hydrolea ovata). Or particularly the Blue Waterleaf, which unfurls petals that are often deep blue, the color of a Sierra Nevada sky.
Some of these wet-loving wildflowers come from familiar family stock. The milkweeds and the lilies, which are actually members of the Amaryllis Family (Asclepiadaceae and Amaryllidaceae), for example. And the Blue Waterleaf is a member of the Waterleaf Family (Hydrophyllaceae ), which I wrote about last spring. It's cousins include such lovelies as Baby Blue-eyes ( Nemophila menziesii) and Miami Mist (Phacelia purshii ).
Perhaps all these wildflowers seem more exotic to me than they really are, but I've had so little experience in a real swamp. Everything about it is exciting. Particularly the wildflowers. It reminds me of the girl from California living in North Carolina. She was so thrilled with Cardinals, the state bird of Ohio, and rather ordinary to me. Well, now I understand. These wildflowers may be unnoticeable weeds to the locals, but to me they are swampy adventures.
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