fisheating creek – Matt Tilghman Photography

Memorial Sunrise – Florida Cypress Swamp

Matt Tilg — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 14:21:24 +0000

The Memorial Tree is the king of this Florida cypress swamp, along Fisheating Creek, near Lake Okeechobee.

This is the famous Memorial Tree, in Fisheating Creek, Florida. It is a massive bald cypress known for its impressive array of “knees”. Strangely enough, scientists don’t actually know the purpose of these knees. They originally presumed that the knees supply oxygen to the root structure during flooding, but this has come into question recently. Indeed, it is typically swamp-growing trees, like those in this Florida cypress swamp, which show a multitude of knees. However, wetland trees which have had the knees remove continue to thrive. Additionally, lab work shows that the knees are actually poor at absorbing oxygen. Thus, the current working hypothesis is that they serve simply as a sort of buttress, for root stability in the wet unstable soil.

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Dawn in the Florida Forest

Matt Tilg — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 20:00:37 +0000

A patch of Florida forest near Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area lights up by morning sunlight filtering through cypress trees.

This photograph is from Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area, near Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. This is on the trail to Memorial Tree, taken on my return. As the dawn light became a bit more powerful, it began to filter through the trees more, casting a beautiful golden glow across the landscape. To me, this is a perfect example of a Florida forest. They truly have a unique beauty all their own. The mixture of sabal palmetto, bald cypress, and live oak (among others) gives the woods a distinctly primeval feel. And when the sun rises, the dense grassy undergrowth covered in dew is almost as bright as the morning sky.

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Wild Florida – Fisheating Creek

Matt Tilg — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 03:12:15 +0000

The giant cypress, Memorial Tree, alongside the wild Fisheating Creek, is the embodiment of true Wild Florida.

This massive bald cypress with giant, far-spreading knees is the famous Memorial Tree. It’s so named because a local fisherman, while fishing here, was tragically killed when he went to help with an accident on nearby highway 27. This stretch of Fisheating Creek was his favorite spot, so his ashes were spread around the base of this tree. I can see why it was his favorite place. I’ve only been once, and already I’ve fallen in love. Most of the pictures you’ll see of this tree online are from the wetter months, when it is flooded and much more green. I like that look a lot, and will be sure to return in the wet season!

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Sun Rising at Fisheating Creek, Florida

Matt Tilg — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 16:40:21 +0000

Egrets, Herons, Ibises… all searching for breakfast as dawn arrives, on the banks of Fisheating Creek, Florida

This photograph is from my first trip to Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area, near Palmdale, Florida. I can’t believe it took me this long to visit! It’s an amazing place, and not as far as I thought. I decided to try to hike to the “Memorial Tree” for sunrise. The trail was pretty confusing, so I got lost and had to double back a few times. Because of this, I ended up actually technically missing sunrise. However, because of all the tall cypress trees, when I arrived the scene was still in shadow. As I waited for the dawn light to hit the Memorial Tree, I noticed that it was first starting to barrel down the creek bed. It illuminated the scene beautifully, showing hoards of wading birds all along the riverbanks. I have no idea why they call this place Fisheating Creek, but there was certainly a lot of fish eating going on!

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Life’s Turns – Wise Old Cabbage Palm

Matt Tilg — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 03:59:39 +0000

This old cabbage palm tree, found in Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area, is an expert at getting back up after being knocked down!

Most palm trees grow straight up. That includes the Cabbage Palm, the type of palm tree featured in this photograph. So when you see one with a significant bend, it’s usually because it fell or leaned during a storm. If the tree makes it through the trauma, it then starts growing straight upwards again. It’s crazy to think about what this old cabbage palm, which I found in the Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area near Palmdale Florida, has been through. I can’t even recreate in my mind how many storms had tossed the tree over the years, and in which directions. This tree has definitely seen some stuff, that’s for sure! And these palms grow very slowly, so this could have been going on over centuries!

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