Lake Martin, Louisiana: Late Spring Visit

Lake Martin, Louisiana. Early June.

As usual, Lake Martin appears modest from the banks, reserving its beauty for when you engage by way of boat.

We took a boat tour yesterday as the day moved toward dusk.

We saw an alligator nest:

Lake Martin, Louisiana. Early June. Alligator nest.

I had no idea an alligator nest was so large! It's that pyramidal mound at center-right above.

Bullfrog, Lake Martin, Louisiana. Early June. Credit: Cat Hodges.

We saw a brilliantly yellow-and-green bullfrog sitting in the water. Just sitting like a buddha.

Lake Martin, Louisiana. Early June.

Below is a slide show with my accumulation of Lake Martin photos:



#30

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana: Late Spring Visit

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

Poo-yai! Those are some blood-thirsty yellow flies at the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge! I first experienced these varmints when I visited the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in July 2014 here and here.

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

On this year's visit, my group of visitors and I saw an alligator, a turtle nest, various engrossing (hahaha! "Engrossing," get it?) carcasses, many examples of poop, and birds. And the yellow flies.

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

A slideshow here:

Lafayette: The Campus Swamp

Cypress Lake, UL campus, Lafayette, Louisiana

The University of Louisiana - Lafayette campus is compact and pretty.  Live oaks drape the main promenade, St. Mary's Street. Bright flowers leaven the seriousness of red brick buildings. Much-loved Girard Park anchors a corner of the campus.

Cypress Lake, UL campus, Lafayette, Louisiana

You'd never know that in the heart of the campus lies a petite swamp. With alligators, turtles, cypresses and Spanish moss, an array of fishes, and fat squirrels. It's surrounded by an attractive black metal fence to protect residents both within and without the habitat.

 

Cypress Lake, UL campus, Lafayette, Louisiana

 People visit and feed bread to the fish and turtles.

Cypress Lake, UL campus, Lafayette, Louisiana

The "swamp" is more technically Cypress Lake. If one really wants to get technical, I'd propose it was more a large pond than a lake, but historically, the swamp-lake-pond originated as a depression caused by two-stepping buffalo who liked to party in the cypress grove. The depression, which later filled with water, was here before UL was.

Cypress Lake, UL campus, Lafayette, Louisiana

If you look closely at the photo above, you can see turtles sunning themselves on a log. .... or is it a log?

Cypress Lake, UL campus, Lafayette, Louisiana

Louisiana: American Alligator is the New Mountain Lion

Went to Lake Fausse Lake Point State Park today.

One of the first signs I saw:

Lake Fausse Point State Park, Louisiana

Another sign helpfully noted the average size of an American alligator is between six and 12 feet. So it can be as long as a room.

Which reminds me of this sign:

McKittrick Canyon, Texas

.. which is like the sign I saw when I first arrived in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Predators all the same, just different teeth and wrapping.