Swamp; a forest in standing water. That’s the technical definition. That does not include mud, insects, wildlife, and the powerful humid smells found only here.

These photographs present part of the Four Hole Swamp, 16,000 acres in Beidler Forest, South Carolina.

The image above could be called a trail here. It is open and no standing water, however the mud is deep and thick.

Every type of ‘critter’ you might imagine can and does live here.

Cypress and Tupelo trees are thick and their ‘knees’ (the root system growing above the water) don’t allow for many open spots.

There are trees here over 1,000 years old (you can walk by and touch them) and the swamp flows for 62 miles without having any kind of real channel. A large number of rare and endangered species live in this swamp.

All the photographs above are best viewed full screen to see the details.

Note: If you have seen the Mel Gibson movie ‘The Patriot’ you know a little about this place already. The film was based on Francis Marion (the Swamp Fox) of the US Revolutionary War. These are the swamps of the real Swamp Fox. Marion Forest is here also.