Cypress’ knees are dressed in moss that’s gray when dry and a lovely soft green when wet.  They make an interesting decor as they line up like bowling pins along the Chipola Riverbank. There are skinny ones and fat ones, tall and short, and every size in between. Some are just tiny knobs poking up through the sand just waiting to trip the one not looking;  such as myself with my eye in the viewfinder of my camera. “Ouch!”   I learned a lesson the hard way.

The cottonmouth snake living in-between the knees makes them dangerous unless you know where you are putting your hands. A lot of critters live among the knees including crawfish and lizards.  Waterbirds will hunt for their meals that hide in the moss-covered knees, along with raccoons and owls.

Cypress’ knees grow up from the tree root growing out from the tree.  No one seems to know the purpose of the knee.