Big Cypress Tree State Park: West Tennessee's Little Known Wilderness
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One of the little known wonders of West Tennesse lies just off the 45 bypass between Greenfield and Martin. Big Cypress Tree State Park is recognized by many, thanks to the late cypress tree from which the park received it's name, but is truly known by few. The entrance to the park has a quiet paved walking trail, picnic tables, a playground, and plenty of room for any city slicker to stretch their legs beneath the gentle sway of oaks and maple. This beginning is, unfortunately, the only part of this magnificent refuge that most people ever see. But just beyond the community pavilions and asphalt parking lot lies a world of incredible beauty. In order to experience this magnificent menagerie of sounds, sights, and things that creep, you must leave the comfort of the walking trail and venture into the cypress grove.
On any given day it is not uncommon to encounter deer, racoons, swamp rabbits, hawks, pileated woodpeckers, owls, and an assortment of other creatures. The greatest treasures, however, can be found just beneath the leaf litter, as this park is home to an incredible assortment of reptiles and amphibians. Beyond any doubt, Big Cypress has one of the healthiest populations of Ambystomid salamanders in West Tn. It is a truly magnificent place that I have been fortunate enough to trod on many occasions, and it has served as the foundation upon which I have built my knowledge of herpetofauna in West Tn.
On any given day it is not uncommon to encounter deer, racoons, swamp rabbits, hawks, pileated woodpeckers, owls, and an assortment of other creatures. The greatest treasures, however, can be found just beneath the leaf litter, as this park is home to an incredible assortment of reptiles and amphibians. Beyond any doubt, Big Cypress has one of the healthiest populations of Ambystomid salamanders in West Tn. It is a truly magnificent place that I have been fortunate enough to trod on many occasions, and it has served as the foundation upon which I have built my knowledge of herpetofauna in West Tn.