This thick stand of bald cypress trees soak their toes in Lake Marion's shoreline waters. The stout looking bald cypress, a deciduous conifer, are usually found at water's edge, but can also be used as landscape trees in moderate climates. Its large flared knees, a distinctive feature, support the base of the tree in its effort to reach up above the waterline. Some of the old growth bald cypress reach a height of 130 feet and approach 600 years of age.
     In this view, Lake Marion's bald cypress trees filter the mid morning sun and create a typical southern lake scene. Lake Marion is part of the Santee Cooper Lake System and covers 170,000 acres of east central South Carolina. Marion and neighboring Lake Moultrie were part of a 1940s Depression Era project that ended up as one of the largest land clearing efforts in the history of the United States.