Swamps occur in the Barataria-Terrebonne estuary along stream bottoms like Choctaw Bayou and Bayou Corne.
Swamps become more prevalent farther south where they surround large lakes like Verret and Palourde. Cypress-tupelo swamp is the dominant habitat in the part of the Barataria basin around Lac des Allemands and Bayou Boeuf.
Swamps of the Estuary are freshwater forested wetlands. The soils are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water throughout the growing season except during periods of extreme drought. Because of this near permanent flooding, swamps are low in floristic diversity. Moss-covered stands of bald cypress and tupelo gum with their buttressed trunks dominate the landscape along with associated species of swamp red maple, black willow, swamp blackgum, pumpkin ash, green ash, water elm, water locust, and buttonbush.
The swamp is home to a number of species of gar, choupique, and crawfish and is ideal nesting habitat to herons, ibises, egrets and wood ducks. Warblers, woodpeckers, and wrens also make the swamp their home. Predator birds such as the barred owl and the red-tailed hawk fly through its canopy. Mammals found in the swamp include otter, beaver, muskrat, and even the invasive nutria. Alligators, cottonmouths, and snapping turtles also make this their home.
