But that begs the question:
How big are our giants compared to the redwood giants in the Pacific Northwest?
Old growth redwoods – at 350 ft – are about four times as tall as our old growth cypress.
Quadruple that and you are right up at the top of the Empire State Building.
It’s pure coincidence that each of the three comes with its own “giant ape” legend: Skunk Ape for the Big Cypress, Bigfoot for the Pacific Northwest, and King Kong for the Empire State Building.
Do any of them exist?
When it comes to urban or swamp legends, that’s almost beside the point:
They take on a life of their own.
13 comments:
Hi Robert, thought I would pop over to your world.
I really love trees...so these cypress actually grow in the swamp?
Are they similar to a pine as we have cypress pines growing here in Australia?
http://www.appalachianloghomes.com.au/cypress.html
I'm sorry the other link didn't work,
here is something you may find interesting too.
fairwater
white cypress
Here, Red Cedar (Toona ciliata) can grow up to 40 m (roughly 131 ft). However, in the past it was highly valued for its timber. Today few large specimens remain, most usually reach half the height.
The largest tree found in the state, is Eucalyptus grandis (Flooded Gum). It measured 84.3 m (roughly 276 ft)and is believed to be over 400 years old.
Our equivalent of Big Foot is the Yowie.
Interesting post and comparisons. I want to see the Redwoods and am planning a trip west (still in the dream stages) I won't be looking for the monsters though!
Amazing how old and tall these trees are! In Australia we saw also pines that were so old and so enormous. Something we don't see in our country.
I always learn so much from your posts. Thanks for the comparison of the cypress and redwood -- someday I hope to see both. I hadn't heard of the skunk ape before.
Another interesting post, Bob. I would love to see the cypress ---and if I go there, maybe I will see the Skunk Ape.. Hope he doesn't smell as bad as our skunks!!! ha
Betsy
Interesting post and shots from the swamp.
I guess we will probably never know if any of the legends really exist but isn't that part of their appeal?
I was sitting on a stump one morning well before daylight, about halfway down Deep Creek toward the St. John's River. I was dozing off. All of a sudden something grabbed the bsrrel of my shotgun. Naturally I jumped, the creature released my shotgun, backed away, and called "whoo, whoo awhoo".
At 4AM in a Cypress swamp it's hard to tell a Bigfoot from a bigfooted owl!
The shotgun barrel must have looked like a great perch, to sit on and wait for puddle ducks to fly in! Any time you ask me, I'll tell you that I have encountered a Bigfoot!
Thanks for your comments. Your know you are in deep nature when you are among the really tall trees, which are also places that invoke a certain sense of mystery. That's a great story about the owl, which are also creatures we associated with tall tree habitat, and in which encounters are well documented.
Your infomative posts keep my gray cells on the hop! I love wilderness like the last picture, a little like my garden!
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