Last updated: July 23, 2024
Place
Battle Creek Cypress Swamp
Wikimedia Commons / Famartin
Quick Facts
Location:
2880 Gray's Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20378
Designation:
Chesapeake Bay Gateway
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
5 listed
Information, Parking - Auto, Picnic Table, Restroom, Wheelchair Accessible
Battle Creek Cypress Swamp is one of the northernmost stands of bald cypress trees. These unusual conifers shed their feathery leaves in the fall. In winter, their gray, shreddy bark distinguishes bald cypress from other deciduous trees. A small, wooden boardwalk snakes around these relics of the past. Distinctive, knobby cypress "knees" emerge from the water near the boardwalk.
On spring mornings, visitors are serenaded by birds such as the golden-colored Prothonotary warbler and the ground-foraging Louisiana waterthrush. In late summer, visitors can enjoy splashes of color provided by cardinal-flower and the threatened red turtlehead (Chelone obliqua). In the evening, one may also hear the quick trill of the arboreal gray treefrog. Visitors can enjoy several hiking trails that lead through the property.
Battle Creek Cypress Swamp encompasses about 100 acres of cypress swamp and surrounding upland woods. It was purchased in 1977 by The Nature Conservancy and is currently leased and operated by Calvert County Parks and Recreation. The special habitat at Battle Creek was recognized as a National Natural Landmark in 1965.