Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Wednesday 1 august 2018

Frog symphony and ancient trees in a verdant Louisiana swamp

By BETH J. HARPAZ spot today.
Associated Press Another sign showcas-
MARRERO, La. (AP) — It es the "Monarch of the
was 93 degrees and humid Swamp," a massive old-
when I set out on a 4-mile growth bald cypress tree
stroll through a Louisiana estimated to be 700 years
swamp. old. These trees were prized
Crazy, you say? But let me in the South because they
tell you what I found there, were resistant to termites,
in the Barataria Preserve of so many of them were cut
Jean Lafitte National Histor- down.
ical Park and Preserve. "We always wonder why
A symphony of frogs. A that one survived," Wal-
700-year-old tree. And a lisch said of the Monarch,
verdant landscape of drip- adding that the joke goes
ping moss and neon green that loggers must have en-
that seemed to melt with countered it on a Friday
the heat into the woods afternoon when they were
and wetlands. ready to knock off work
Fan-shaped palmettos and said, "We're not start-
waved hello along the ing on that tree today!"
trails. Strange formations Hikers might also see liz-
of cypress trees known as ards and snakes — but if
knees pushed up through you do, don't panic: "For
the swampland. Moss cas- the most part, they are not
caded from branches This June 3, 2018 photo shows sign marking Bayou Coquille on trail in the Barataria Preserve, interested in us at all. They
overhead. I half-expected Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Marrero, Louisiana, just outside of New Or- just want to go about their
to spot a mythical crea- leans. snaky business," Wallisch
ture like the rougarou — Associated Press said. And if you see a white-
half-wolf, half-man in Ca- I tweeted out a few sec- public information. vateer — OK, let's just call tailed deer, you might no-
jun folklore — lurking in the onds of a video I'd taken "Traditionally summer is our him a pirate — who sup- tice that it appears smaller
forest. But no werewolves on my cellphone, showing low season because it's plied Jackson with soldiers, than deer in other regions
or fairies crossed my path, the wet, green world I'd en- very hot," Wallisch said. But guns and more. Had Lafitte but with bigger feet. "They
though I was startled by the countered, along with its while locals head to Gulf shown up at the docks in adapted," Wallisch said.
creepy sight of a couple of natural soundtrack. A short Coast beaches this time of New Orleans with his con- "They evolved with those
alligators floating motion- time later, the park's official year to escape the heat traband, he would have feet because it's easier to
less and half-submerged in Twitter feed, @JeanLafit- and humidity, the park had to pay taxes on it. In- walk on wet ground."
dark waters. teNPS, retweeted it with this does get out-of-towners stead, he used the water- The preserve is a great spot
I was also enchanted by message: "That's the way to — like me. "Kids are out of ways as back roads. Some for birding too, especially in
the continuous sound- stand up to a south Louisi- school, people are trav- of his operations were fall and spring as millions of
scape of creatures bay- ana summer — pack a bot- eling, and they're saying, based where the Barataria birds head south to Central
ing, chirping and croak- tle of water & stroll thru the 'OK, it's going to be hot and Preserve is now. or South America for the
ing, from bronze frogs that swamp." humid, but we're also going My visit included a walk on winter, then return.
sound like bicycle horns to I had to find out who was to see and hear amazing the Palmetto Trail and the For tourists taking a side
narrowmouth toads that behind this empowering things we're never going Bayou Coquille Trail. Co- trip to the park from New
sound like sheep. never-mind-the-weather to see and hear anywhere quille is the French word for Orleans, it's interesting to
That night, back in my air- message, and a couple of else,'" she said, adding: shell, named for an enor- consider that the preserve
conditioned hotel room phone calls led me to Kristy "You'll forget the heat and mous mound of shells dis- "is pretty much what New
a half-hour drive from Wallisch, a park ranger humidity three days later. carded by Native Ameri- Orleans looked like" when
the park in New Orleans, who handles Jean Lafitte's But you'll always remember cans who once inhabited European settlers arrived
what a wonderful time you the area. A sign marks that 300 years ago.q
had."
The Barataria Preserve is
one of six distinct sites that
make up Jean Lafitte Na-
tional Historical Park and
Preserve. The other sites in-
clude a visitor center in New
Orleans' famous French
Quarter and the Chalmette
Battlefield, where the Battle
of New Orleans was fought
in 1815. It was the final great
battle of the War of 1812, in
which Andrew Jackson led
the Americans to a David-
versus-Goliath triumph over
British forces.
This June 3, 2018 photo shows a verdant landscape in the Bara- Jackson owed his victory in
taria Preserve, part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and part to the man for whom This June 3, 2018 photo shows a walkway in the Barataria Pre-
Preserve in Marrero, Louisiana, just outside of New Orleans. serve, part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Associated Press the park is named: Jean in Marrero, Louisiana, just outside of New Orleans.
Lafitte. Lafitte was a pri- Associated Press