Bryology in the Okefenokee

Abstract

For years I have been intrigued by the fascinating mysteries reported from the great Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia and extending into Florida. It is second only to the vast Florida Everglades in size and interest. However, I always lacked information as to ways and means of entering this wild region and also I did not want to go unaccompanied by fellow naturalists. After reading Veeren Bell's Swamp Water in the Saturday Evening Post and Mr. Bell's account of himself and his experiences in Keeping Posted, I wrote him, asking for information. He suggested Lem Griffis' fishing camp near Fargo, Georgia, as a good place to go for guides and boats so necessary for any worthwhile exploration of the swamp. I then persuaded Drs. H. L. Blomquist and Lewis E. Anderson of Duke University to accompany me on a week-end trip. On Friday, February 7th, we arrived at Fargo and were directed to take a dirt road twelve miles to the camp. Due to the hard rain that day the road did not look very attractive in spots and meeting another car would have been a problem, in many places. However, after considerable mud splashing I arrived at Griffis' Camp about 4:00 P.M. and the others later, after dark. The camp had plenty of blankets and there was an abundance of fat pine wood for the fireplace in our cabin, so we slept in comfort, though the cracks were wide and it snowed a little Sunday morning, for the first time in years. Saturday morning we drove seven miles farther into the wildlife refuge of the swamp to the boat landing on a small lake. The refuge began at the Griffis' camp and no one is allowed to enter without a permit, which Griffis is authorized to give for fishing and exploring. Firearms are absolutely barred. Saturday we took a twenty-five mile trip into the heart of the swamp through a channel kept open by Mr. Griffis for his fishing parties. As thc powerful out-board motor pushed us through the narrow channel at twenty miles per hour it gave us a bigger thrill than any Coney Island scenic railway. The majestic aisles of bearded cypress were most impressive. Numerous small lakes and shallow areas of open water were covered with lily pads and brightened by thousands of the bright yellow spikes of the golden club (Orontium). 120 THE BRYOLOGIST [Volume 44