“Don’t give up the ship!” I always say.  But we were forced to leave the WETLAND WANDERER in Kentucky. Engine troubles and weather led us to our decision to have her repaired at the manufacturer and shipped to Louisiana on a huge truck! Our adventures on the beautiful Ohio River and the nice folks we met will long be remembered!  We are now in South Louisiana using smaller crafts to travel the wetlands.

 This week finds us canoeing and exploring parts of the Atchafalaya, America’s largest river basin swamp. Atchafalaya is a 1.4 million acre wetland maze. Atchafalaya is a huge sponge that takes the mighty Mississippi’s floodwaters and distributes them into rivers, lakes, bayous, and marshlands that make South Louisiana a wetland wonderland! Atchafalaya is the Indian word meaning long river. Atchafalaya is teaming with wildlife and natural beauty even though man has altered the landscape. Can you spell ATCHAFALAYA after this paragraph?  I hope so!

 There are many types of swamps; the Atchafalaya is a river basin swamp. It is a distributary of the Mississippi River system. It has four major habitats, hardwood bottomlands, cypress tupelo swamp, coastal marsh and Atchafalaya Bay.  Our state tree, the Bald cypress was once the dominant feature in this swamp. Many of these trees were cut in the 1900’s for their everlasting wood. One of the most important aspects of the basin is its size; even though it has been altered it remains a varied habit for many creatures and a storehouse of resources for man.  It is one of Louisiana’s greatest assets.

 Waiting for the big boat to be repaired CC, Sue, and I are spending time in smaller crafts. Canoes are great fun! We visited some really cool spots in the Atchafalaya basin and I want to tell you I saw some big beavers!!!
 
 The Atchafalaya is home to many interesting creatures that have weird adaptations, which help them survive. If you spent most of your life in water you would surely get “Goosebumps!” Well, beavers have a thick, warm fur and a layer of fat under their skin. They also have sebaceous glands that make oil, which “waterproofs” their fur! The beaver’s hind feet are webbed for fast swimming and its second claw is split and used like a comb to keep its fur groomed. The front paws have a thumb, like humans, for holding food and building dams. The beavers broad, flat tail is used as a rudder to help it steer while swimming. The beavers I saw were sitting on this flat tail grooming themselves! CC says that beavers slap their tails against the water to warn other beavers of danger.

 Other adaptations a beaver has are teeth that continuously grow. Why do you think that these teeth never get too long? Beavers dive and can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes! WOW! Their ears and noses have special flaps that seal up tight and their eyes have nictitating membranes that work like underwater goggles.
Beavers cannot see too well but they sure smelled and heard me as we approached them quietly in our canoe. I was not afraid of beavers because they are shy and like to eat tree bark and soft plants NOT dogs! These clever mammals sometimes gnaw down large trees, eat the tender tops, and use the bottom part as building material.

 Lodges built by beavers can have many rooms and many levels. Underwater entrances and exits are another feature! CC says beavers in the Atchafalaya build “high rise” lodges because the water levels go up and down so often. The beavers I met lived in the base of an ancient Bald Cypress stump. This tree was probably cut in the early 1900’s when so many of these majestic trees were harvested. CC quietly took pictures as 1,2,3,4,5,and 6 of these furry friends slid out of their resting place and swam away!