Quickening in the Bayou
Louisiana Wetlands
By Mark LegerJean Lafitte National Historic
Park and Preserve
Louisiana
Alligators become more active in the fall. Photograph courtesy of the Refuge Reporter
The best fall color in the bayou is not up in the trees but on the ground. October is the time for a big fall wildflower bloom at Jean Lafitte National Preserve, a national park facility dedicated to preserving the environment and culture of the Louisiana bayou. Bur Marigold makes a carpet of yellow flowers in the bald cypress swamp, visible from hiking trails and from a canoe. Asters, which look like little purple daisies, bloom along the trails in the hardwood forest. And you'll find searingly red Cardinal flower heating up the sides of bayous. Truth be told, the bayou does get a bit of foliage color, too. Sweet gum and red maples turn red, hackberries and black willows turn yellow.
Notice how your appetite sharpens in the autumn with the advent of cooler weather? Works the same way for the animals in the bayou. They need to start building up fat reserves, which means they're much more active. Fall offers perhaps the best chance to see reptiles, including alligators, hunting and eating. Later on, the gators and turtles will be digging holes in the marsh and bayou, into which they'll sink for their winter hibernation. The mud, and their body fat, will keep them warm and alive during the short Louisiana winter.
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