Autumn still brings a splash of color to this hardwood forest of bald cypress in Louisiana. But make no mistake, a stroll through these wetlands is not a cozy New England leaf-peeping journey. The swamp forest floor is often covered by the waters of the Atchafalaya River delta as it drains into the Gulf of Mexico, so the autumn colors here are best viewed from the seat of a canoe or a pirogue, as the local Cajuns use. The water-resistant bald cypress trees thriving in the Atchafalaya Basin constitute the largest tract of contiguous cypress forest in the United States. The ecosystem here is so unlike any other in the US, the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area organization calls it "America"s foreign country."
Autumn in the cypress swamp
Today in History
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It s Coffee Day
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Here we honor the women who ve served
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Traffic jam on the caribou highway
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Red-necked grebes during breeding season
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US Coast Guard: Protecting us for 105 years
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Ancient theater of Epidaurus, Greece
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World Migratory Bird Day
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The 80th anniversary of D-Day
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Life in the slow lane
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Remembering the Velvet Revolution
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Vineyards in the Mosel Valley, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
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Big Bend National Parks birthday
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The party’s just starting
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Dance of the egret
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Arambol Beach, Goa, India
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Let the holiday shopping commence
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International Day for Biological Diversity
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In memory of those lost
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Super sandy Sweet 16
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In search of roadside attractions on ‘America’s Highway’
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Tafilalet oasis in Morocco
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Lucian Blaga National Theater, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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Happy Mother s Day!
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Patriot Day
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Presidents Day in America’s front yard
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Sitting down and taking a stand