The knees are thought to aid the roots by providing oxygen to the often-waterlogged cypress. As we walked beneath the towering cypress, the sound of barred owls calling to one another resounded throughout the swamp. The barred owl is a mostly nocturnal hunter whose prey can include small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish and some small birds. To hear what a barred owl sounds like , visit the E. Dale Joyner Nature Preserve website. While they may look like vines here, strangler figs are trees that begin growth from a dispersed seed.
Strangler figs grow above the canopy of their host tree and send aerial roots down to the ground.
In many cases, the strangler fig will engulf and kill the host tree. Here, a large bald cypress tree and strangler fig are co-existing. A little blue heron posing on top of the Corkscrew Sanctuary boardwalk banister with the cypress swamp understory. Adult little blue herons are dark blue and have a bluish beak with a black tip, while immature little blue herons are completely white. Little blue herons are common in freshwater areas.