Cypresses, Spanish moss and algae at Merchants Millpond

Cypresses, Spanish moss, and algae make up the landscape at Merchants Millpond in Gatesville, North Carolina. One of North Carolina’s rarest ecological communities, Merchants Millpond State Park is a unique mingling of coastal pond and southern swamp forest. At its upper end lies Lassiter Swamp, “an ecological wonderland containing remnants of an ancient bald cypress swamp, and the eerie enchanted forest of tupelo gum whose trunks and branches have been distorted into fantastic shapes by mistletoe.” A variety of reptiles, amphibians, and mammals such as beaver, mink and river otter make their homes here.