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Message: <blockquote data-quote="tadk" data-source="post: 2581174" data-attributes="member: 32497">This was going to be submitted but putting it hereI wanted to do some real life like article for flavor of the Bayou / SwampPulled some data together etcBut not feeling a way to put it into play fast enough to make the deadline and work on my 4 monsters I have started and a germ of an idea for Gris-Gris bagsSo posting it here for research purposes for my fellow threadersTadWelcome to the Bayou, some information to enliven your gameTad KelsonBayou (bī'ū, bī'ō) pronunciation n.   1. A body of water, such as a creek or small river, that is a tributary of a larger body of water.   2. A sluggish stream that meanders through lowlands, marshes, or plantation grounds.[Louisiana French bayouque, bayou, possibly from Choctaw bayuk.]The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2004, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reservedThe thesaurus also suggests swamp, swampland, marsh, marshland, everglade, wetlands, bog for other similar terms. Now more of a description of the Bayou taken lock stock and barrel From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.A bayou is a small, slow-moving stream or creek formed in the former bed of a river. Bayous are usually located in low-lying areas, especially in the Mississippi River delta region of the southern United States. Many bayous are the home of crawfish, certain species of shrimp, other shellfish and catfish.The word was first used by the French in Louisiana and is thought to originate from the Choctaw word bayuk which means "small stream". The first settlements of Acadians in southern Louisiana were near Bayou Lafourche and Bayou des Ecores which led to a close association of the bayou with Cajun culture.A term used in the western US for generally similar features is "slough" (pronounced "slew"). Houston, Texas is known as the "Bayou City".Bayou Country is most closely associated with Cajun (Acadian French) and Creole (mixed French, African, and Indian) cultural groups native to the Gulf Coast region generally stretching from Houston, Texas to Mobile, Alabama with its center in New Orleans, Louisiana.Cypress SwampCypress swamps are found in the southern United States. They are named for the bald cypress tree. Bald cypress trees are deciduous trees with needle-like leaves. They have very wide bases and  "knees" that grow from their roots and stick up out of the water. Bald cypress trees can grow to 100 to 120 feet tall.Fire plays an important role in the establishment of bald cypress swamps. Cypress trees grow very quickly after a fire and re-establish themselves before other trees have a chance to grow!  Many of the bald cypress trees in cypress swamps in the U.S. were cut down in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. The wood from the bald cypress is resistant to rot and was a popular wood for building. Other trees and shrubs like pond cypress, blackgum, red maple, wax myrtle, and buttonwood can also be found in cypress swamps. Animals like white-tailed deer, minks, raccoons, anhingas, pileated woodpeckers, purple gallinules, egrets, herons, alligators, frogs, turtles and snakes are often found in cypress swamps. Here is a representative listing of some of the animals that live in the Bayou or a Swamp.A Wide variety of Herons and other BirdsAmerican AlligatorsBald EaglesBatsBeaversBobcatsBrown BearsCatfishCoyotesDucksEastern wild turkeysFeral Boar / PigsFreshwater Drum FishGarfishGrey FoxesGrey SquirrelsLargemouth BassLong-Tailed WeaselMinksOpossumRabbitsRaccoonsRed FoxesRed-Cockaded WoodpeckersRiver OttersSmallmouth Buffalo FishStriped SkunksTurtlesWater SnakesWaterfowlWhite-tailed DeerThe Section on Cypress Swamps is used intact with some additions listing more animals found in many swamps, from Nature Works <a href="http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep7i.htm" target="_blank">http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep7i.htm</a> New Hampshire Public Television268 Mast Road, Durham, NH 03824. 603-868-1100 Fax 603-868-7552©2005 All rights reserved(This part I might use later on. Watch out Sean and Deb once I am done with my current projects)Facts and Folklore"In Malaysia it is said that a crocodile has two pairs of eyes, one pair for daylight and one pair for night and under water. It also has a special stomach in which it hides its human victim's clothes. A child which has fallen into a river may turn slowly into a crocodile, beginning by growing a tail. The head remains human longest." - Jan Knappert</blockquote>

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