Cypress Strands along Loop Road Scenic Drive

One day while at Big Cypress National Preserve, we decided to drive the Loop Road Scenic Drive.  It’s a great way to see all sorts of nature and it’s free!  Well, except for the gas for your car.  No tickets or tour guides – you are your own tour guide with a flyer to help you along the way!

The beginning of the Loop Road seems like any other dirt road in any other part of the country, but it will be very cool in just a few minutes!!  This post will focus on the wonderful “forest” that can be seen, called a cypress strand.  When I looked up the definition of the word “strand”, it refers to strands in Florida as being swamp strands and it’s a type of swamp.  Another requirement is that the tree that predominates must be a type of cypress.

I love the look of the cypress reflection with other greenery growing alongside.  It just looks like the temperature is very pleasant and perhaps cool in the shade of the strand.  However, you wouldn’t want to be in that water…..

I think of this scene as a watery forest.  To me, it looks like many other forests I’ve seen in my life, except for the types of trees and the fact that it’s not dirt that is on the forest floor, but water!  Still, it’s such a peaceful scene….

When I stood on the edge of this part of the strand, I felt like I was looking into a very deep forest.  I kept expecting some deer to peek out at me from behind some of the trees.  But, that won’t happen in this forest!

This looks like a larger river or small lake or pond.  In fact, this is called Sweetwater Strand.  This is one of the deepest strands along this road.  It’s actually just a tad cooler in this area, due to the deeper water.  Such a relaxing scene.

Air plants, or bromeliad, which is its more formal name, abound in this area!  It’s rather refreshing to see these plants just sprouting up all over this area!

And, I will end this post from Loop Road with, of course, another lovely peaceful scene of this swamp.  Funny, I always picture swamps as damp, smelly, semi-scary places, but, truly, they can be quite beautiful!

Enjoy!