|
Swamps and Bayous
The word bayou originated from the term bayuk, the
Louisiana French word for "small stream" By
definition, a bayou is a watercourse, usually the
offshoot of a river or lake in a lowland area. It is
a sluggish or stagnant creek, frequently flowing
through swamp terrain. The term is used mainly when
referring to areas in the delta region (the area
near the mouth) of the Mississippi River. In
comparison, a swamp is low-lying, marshy wetland,
and is usually forested and seasonally flooded. In
Florida they call them swamps. Alligators and
Crocadiles live in both swamps and bayous. |