The groundhog predicted that we would have an early spring the other day, and obviously the trees at Swan Lake Iris Gardens in Sumter, South Carolina are in total agreement. The Japanese Magnolia trees are bursting with their powerful pink blooms right now. While they do actually bloom in the winter, it is encouraging to know that my favorite season for photography is right around the corner.

My trip to Swan Lake this time began at the gazebo that has a beautiful Japanese Magnolia right in front of it. I spent several minutes photographing the beautiful blooms and trying to set up the perfect photograph. I liked how several of them turned out, so I will post them below. I always have to pull myself away from anything that has blooms on it or I will easily take at least a thousand photographs of all the flowers that are around me.

I hopped on the elevator next so I could walk across the pedestrian bridge that would take me across the road to see the lake and the rest of the gardens. The main parking lot has been undergoing a major renovation for months, and one of the newest additions is a new sculpture by Grainger McKoy. He has another sculpture in the gardens named “Recovery”. I don’t know yet what the new sculpture is named, but as soon as I can get up close and personal with it, I will share a new story with all of you.

An interesting fact about Swan Lake is that it is the only place in the United States that is open to the public that is home to all eight species of swans. You can usually find all of them hanging out together around their food tray, which recently has been upgraded to a really nice floating platform in the water. They also share their food with the ducks and other birds that also call Swan Lake home. If you love to photograph birds, this is the place for you.

In addition to the Japanese Magnolia trees that were in full bloom, the camellias were blooming also. Beautiful shades of white, pink, and red were found on all of the trees that surrounding me. Since the temperature was rather warm for a winter day, a bee and some fire ants were enjoying the camellias as well. The bee was enjoying the pollen, but I’m not quite sure what the fire ants were enjoying unless it was the fragrance of the flowers.

I decided to head on back to my car since it was getting a little late and it looked like it could rain at any minute. I walked back over to the elevator so I could walk back across the bridge that would lead me to the parking lot where my car was. I usually park in the main parking lot on the side that has the lake on it, but lately, due to construction, I have been parking on the other side of the road where you can walk on a boardwalk right beside huge cypress trees. I highly recommend taking the walk through the trees. It is an absolutely gorgeous walk to take on a nice day, and you stay on a boardwalk the whole time. It’s a short, but very relaxing walk in the woods.

Swan Lake Iris Gardens is open year round. Admission is free. They do ask that you do not feed the wildlife because they are on a special diet that they feed them. Signs are posted throughout the park reminding you not to feed the animals, and to also remind you that the wildlife can be aggressive since they are in their natural habitat. Swan Lake Iris Gardens is located at 822 West Liberty Street in Sumter, South Carolina.

Published by travelingthesoutheast

My name is Donna. At an early age I had a love for photography. There was nothing more fun than taking film to a store and then having to wait several days to get the photographs back, sometimes only to find out that none of the pictures turned out the way I wanted them to. Quite a few years ago digital came out, and the rest is history. I can always be found with a camera around my neck, on my arm, or in my hand. I have always had a love for telling stories and sharing them with others. My imagination has always been a little on the wild side. About ten years ago, I decided one day that I wanted to start traveling, and I have never looked back. There is nothing in the world that I enjoy more than traveling and taking photographs. View all posts by travelingthesoutheast