Life on the Withlacoochie

Rivers have always intrigued me. I admire rivers. Rivers are dependable, permanent  and beautiful. And rivers, like time, cannot be stopped. The Withlacoochie for example is a picturesque southern river in north central Florida. It's waters are dark brown and sometimes almost black. The banks of the river are lined with Sweet Gum and Bald cypress, Sable Palm and magnolia. It flows for nearly a hundred fifty miles before entering the Gulf of Mexico.

I love this river. I love its calm dark water. I love its southern charm, it's gentle pace and mostly I love that it provides a place for myriad of life along it's shore line.

Because the Withlacoochie meanders to its destination, rather that rushes, it becomes home to many aquatic plants such as water lettuce and lotus lilies along it's shores. Also here are growing cat tales, rushes and grasses. 

Since the river has no banks, at least few high banks, it tends to wander off into the cypress groves that inhabit its shores.

Here you'll find, if you're willing to get down close to the nature of it all, a world of life in every square inch of the river Withlacoochie.

Take a look a some examples of the life I captured In photographs on just a square yard of the Withlacoochie River shoreline.

       New growth tip of Cypress Knee

           Moss in spore cycle 

   Duck Weed ~ floating aquatic plant

     Crablike Spiny Orbweaver spider

       Three inch tall Bald Cypress tree

             Floating Water lettuce

   Apple Snail Eggs laid on a plant stalk

An expanded area of shoreline, when searched and explored, turns up hundreds of species of plant and animals including Aligators, Snakes, several species of Turtles, many varieties of fish and River Otters as well plus a treasure of aquatic plants.

Today's indepth look was contained to a very small section of shoreline.

A slow moving river like this one is home to phytoplankton & zooplankton as well.

The Withlacoochie is a living river that would take a lifetime to explore. That would be a life well spent.