On the Edge

Cypress Swamp, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok


The Lowcountry is on the edge of two seasons... fall is almost over and winter is almost here. We are at the in-between time when one day there is a hint of frost in the air, yet the next day it is a balmy 75 degrees, like it was here today.

But when you are on the edge, in that transition zone... where fall meets winter and land meets water... something special is sure to happen. In this image at Magnolia Garden's cypress swamp, you can see the transition from fall to winter taking place. The cypress trees have lost their needles, revealing their bare limbs draped heavily with Spanish Moss, while another tree basks in the glow of autumn gold. All of this is reflected in the still waters of the swamp, which acts as a mirror to the world around it...
on the edge between reality and fantasy.