Old Cypress

This is an old Cypress Tree I saw while exploring in this area of The Green Swamp close to the Withlacoochee River. I am not sure how old this is but it seems to have been here for a very long time. The inside of the tree is hollowed out and I was able to crawl inside and stand up for an interesting perspective. Why is it hollowed out? Well, the outer part of the tree is compromised, and the heart wood rots upward from the water level. If you notice the darker shading around the base of the tree that is where the water levels get up to in this part of the swamp.

This wilderness used to have a lot of these ancient trees and they were much larger and older than this one. Over a hundred a years ago many of them were cut down during the logging boom. I was fortunate to see this one still standing, but who knows how many more could be out there. Many of these old Cypress Trees were left by loggers cause they were determined not to be of any value.

My Video

Old Cypress Tree in The Green Swamp

Resources

Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve