This document is a summary of the book "My Mullica River Picture Book" by Veronica Coia. It takes the reader on a canoe journey along the Mullica River and its tributary, the Batsto River, located in southern New Jersey's Pine Barrens region. The book showcases photographs and commentary about the native flora and fauna found along the rivers, including birds, turtles, frogs, dragonflies, flowers, and the historic village of Batsto. The author hopes the pictures will allow readers to experience and appreciate the natural beauty and spiritual restoration she finds along her beloved Mullica River.

1. My Mullica River
Picture Book
Veronica Coia

2. © Copyright 2013, All rights reserved. www.veronicacoia.com.
My Mullica River Picture Book
Table of Contents:
River ........................................................ 1
Blue Heron................................................4
Red Bellied Turtles....................................6
Canadian Geese.....................................10
Ducks.....................................................12
Birds.......................................................14
Dragonfly................................................16
Damselfly................................................20
Frog........................................................22
Flowers...................................................24
Batsto Village..........................................32
Bridges...................................................34
Snake......................................................36
Ghost?....................................................37
Acknowledgements
References: Thank you Gabriel Coia, Vanessa and
Angelo Lello, Steven Seidler, Bob Moyer, Wikipedia.
org, Pineypower.com, and Hogan Photo. Without your
boats, technical skills, expertise and websites, this
book would not be possible nor accurate!
Talent: A special thanks to Batsto Village, God, Mother
Nature, and all of the creatures and flowers pictured.
Below: Evening Primrose (Genus Oenethera).

3. 1
Ahhh, I love my Mullica River. It is,
literally and figuratively, my home
sweet home, as is the Batsto River.
The Batsto is a 22.9 mile long (36.9
km) tributary of the 50.6 mile (81.4
km) Mullica River, located in the
Pine Barrens of the Wharton State
Forest in southern New Jersey. They
meet up at The Forks, located in
Sweetwater. The Batsto is pretty
narrow; as is the upstream portion
of the Mullica. The fragrant cedar
water transitions into salt water,
widening as it approaches the
Great Bay, home of some of the
least disturbed wetlands habitats
in the Northeastern U.S. It flows
into the Atlantic Ocean.

4. 2
I have never truly
appreciated how
fragrant the Pine
Barrens were
until I returned for
summer break
from art school.
As we got closer
to the house I’d
lived throughout
my teens, I deeply
inhaled that sweet,
fragrant scent
far into my city
polluted lungs.
Mmmm, to this
day, it is one of
the best scents
on Earth!
Each summer, I
go out as often as
possible with my
nephew Gabe,
whose kayaks and
canoes bring us
to branches of the
3
river upstream so
undetected, quiet
and beautiful,
we consider
it our church.
I also venture
downstream as
much as possible,
usually in my
sister Vanessa
and her husband
Angelo’s motor
boat, La Nostra.
When the tide and
conditions are just
right, we head
out to the ocean
into the salty air.
Don’t you just
love that funky
eggy smell?
I know, books
aren’t scented,
so, I hope you
will enjoy my
picture book.

5. 4 5
ready to capture
them. It took five
years to get these
pictures, and I’m
still not satisfied!
They tend to be
loners; I don’t
recall ever seeing
one hanging out
with another.
They do, however,
stick close to
trees surrounding
water along the
east coast of the
United States.
I love watching
them in flight;
and hearing their
wings in motion.
They move so
gracefully and
are quite stealth!
The Great Blue
Heron, (Ardea
herodias) are
actually a cool
grayish color
initially; acquiring
the more bluish
hue as they age.
Although they
stand approximately
4 feet tall, and
have a wingspan
of 68–79 inches
(167–201 cm),
these graceful
wading birds
are surprisingly
light, weighing in
between 4 and
8 lbs (2.1–3.6 kg).
I call them elusive
because they are
camera-shy, only
appearing when
my camera is not

6. 76
The Northern Red-Bellied Turtle
(Pseudemys Rubriventris) is
the primary turtle species I see
around my rivers. They, too, are
camera-shy. However, one day,
I was the Turtle Whisperer with
this guy pictured above. He was
hanging out with his friends (facing
page), and they were kind enough
to let me say hello and take these

7. 9
Further upstream, on the Batsto,
we came across another kind turtle,
who had this crack in his shell.
Fortunately, he seemed on the
8
pictures. Although his friends took
off, he and I hung out for a bit. I was
so close I saw his eyeball blinking!
I whispered to him that I wanted his
life by the water sunning, swimming
or hiding when those pesky humans
show up. I felt honored and amazed
to be in his presence.
mend, and showed no signs of
distress, but the mystery remains:
how, exactly, did this turtle get that
crack in the shell?

8. This particular Canadian goose was
taking its gosling out for a swim as
we were canoeing past. I got up as
close as possible and managed to
snap these shots before she started
to bark at me! Hence, the nickname
the Mad Duck. “It’s not a duck, it’s a
goose,” sighed Gabe...
11
The Mad, Mad, Duck, Duck?
Goose! Canadian Geese (Branta
canadensis), specifically. I still tend
to call them ducks, to the chagrin
of my nephew.
In the 1950’s, they were declining
in numbers so badly they were
believed to be extinct. They were
rediscovered in Minnesota in 1962.
10

9. 1312
What kind of duck is this, in
addition to being adorable? A
Mallard? Transitional Mallard? Or
is it a Hybrid with American Black
Duck? He hung out with us much
of the afternoon. We were in a
silly mood, and somehow we
ended up affectionately calling him
Puppyducky. We’ve seen him at
least one other time that summer,
he’s easy to spot with the unusual
spotting! Puppyducky, you’re the
one! On another day, we came
across this other duck, er, I meant
to say Canadian Goose, further
upstream. She seemed to be in a
rather mellow mood, which worked
out well for me as I took this photo.
She happily posed, unlike that
barking “mad duck-goose.”

10. 15
I’m still trying to identify this bird we
found nesting (at left). He appears
to have a black head and white
breast, and his beak appears to
be a lighter color.
14
I had an easier time identifying
this other mad bird: a Black Crow
(Corvus brachyrhynchos), who
appeared quite intent on pecking
away at the stony looking object.

11. great shots, it was hard to narrow
down to two, so I’m showing four!
Are those the eyes, with brown
pupils, or at this angle, are they her
ears that appear to have a burst
17
Strike a pose! Despite the need for
speed, this lovely lady hung out
and struck many poses for me, after
initially resisting, and at one point,
flying into my face! I got so many
16
The Great Blue Skimmer Dragonfly
(Libellula vibrans Fabricius) are
among the largest, with a length
between (50–63 mm). They get
their blue tinge as they mature.
Dragonflies are among the fastest
flying insects, with speeds between
22–34 mph (10–15 meters per
second). I’ve never been able to
catch them...until this particular day.

12. 18 19
front edges of the wings, what an
amazing creature! Her head shape
resembles that of a skull, that is kind
of creepy! If she can hold this
pose, she won’t need a mask
for Halloween! Yo, Scullface!
of blue shaped similarly to a star?
Looking at her from each angle, it’s
hard to tell; I’m beginning to think
that what I initially thought were
the eyes are actually the nose!
At this angle, can you see the
teeth? Note too, the interesting
yellow spots on each of the

13. 20 21
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera)
are smaller and narrower than
dragonflies. They are much thinner
and only have one set of wings.
I don’t believe these two photos
are of the same fellow, as these
two shots were taken in different
spots a few hours apart. However,
considering how fast they fly, who’s
to say this wasn’t another new
friend who decided to hang out
and tag along with us? His ears are
big enough to hear our big mouths
echoing along the river! On this day,
I was both the Dragonfly and the
Damselfly Whisperer!

14. 22 23
I had to set the camera down onto
the ground and wing it in order to
get these shots. If you look closely
at the photo above, not only are you
The Northern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla
Versicolor) is of the arboreal frog
species, native to the Eastern
U.S. and Canada. They’re like a
chameleon, blending in with their
surroundings. This little guy is not
only blending in with the sand, he’s
disappearing into it! He was so tiny,
seeing that he’s not much larger
than the sand pebbles, he’s also
got a gnat biting his nose! How
can he possibly scratch that itch?

15. This Yellow Pond Lily (Nuphar
variegatum) literally looks like a burst
of sunshine from within. Note how
the pattern in the center of the flower
resembles the sun. I waded into the
2524
lily pads as the sun was setting, (my
toes were green by the time I was
done). The photo above was aimed
directly into the water; that’s the river
behind the flower, not the night...

16. 27
If you’re surrounded
by Pickerel Weed
(Pontedaria cordata),
you must be amongst
the lily pads. This one
must be napping
in this photo.
The purple leaves
burst open each
morning; obviously
this was later
in the afternoon.
I’ve always thought
they added a burst
of color amongst the
pines and the rivers,
as do the yellow
Evening Primrose
(Genus Oenethera)
on the facing page
which were in full
bloom for miles
along the Mullica.
26

17. 28 29
The pink flowers on the left, Swamp
Milkweed (Asclepia incarnata)
were spotted only a few times on
the Batsto, towards the village,
as were the vibrant St. Johnswort
(Hypericum pyramidatum), above.
The center of this flower is orange,
and was spotted even less often
than it’s neighbor.

18. 30 31
The Turk’s Cap, or Tiger Lily
(Lilium superbum), left, is a native
Northern American plant along
the east coast of the U.S. and
can grow from 3–7 feet. The
New York Ironweed (Vernonia
noveboracensis), above, shows
spectrum of pink within the buds.

19. 33
This is one of the houses in Historic
Batsto Village, located on Route
542 in the Wharton State Forest, in
Atlantic County, New Jersey. The
facing page is the waterfall dam
beside it, which separates a lake
from the area of the Batsto River
where we canoe. I never knew this
waterfall existed until fairly recently
when we paddled upstream during
32
high tide and were able to reach
it. There’s another dam just below
Route 542 where we tend to, at
times, bottom out when trying to
quickly paddle over the concrete
barrier. Not pictured are a few
pleasant tourists enjoying the
beauty and history of the Village as
we waved hello and simultaneously
snapped photos of each other.

20. 34
Among my best times growing up
were spent hanging by the Green
Bank Bridge (left). We used to go
to “The Steps” (replaced by the
wall pictured on the horizon line)
and hang at the Pavilion, prior
to overregulation. We’re heading
downstream in the canoe. The view
from the Lower Bank Bridge (above),
is a very serene and inspiring place
to clear out your headspace. From
this view, we’re looking upstream.
35

21. 3736
Did I really take
a picture of a
Rattlesnake,
of the genera
Crotalus?
Usually I am
terrified of any
snake! I’m more
fearless with a
camera in my
hand, even of
this venomous
creature!
He was curled
up under a
tree beside
Oswego Lake.
I got up close
and started
snapping away
until became
annoyed and
slithered off,
shaking that
rattling tail!
Is it me, or does
the sun spot in
this photo look
like ghosts of a
19th century lady
hurrying her young
son along from
some unseen
force? Go ahead
and laugh, but I
got a weird chill
when I first viewed
this photo....
The Mullica always
spiritually aligns
my soul while
restoring my faith, I
hope you enjoyed
these photos as
much as I enjoyed
taking them.
Thank you for
coming along
for the ride!

22. My Mullica River Picture Book by Veronica-Ann Coia.
© Copyright 2013, All rights reserved. www.veronicacoia.com
My Mullica River Picture Book is a canoe journey
of the Mullica River and its tributary, The Batsto
River, showcasing images of the habitat native
to the South Jersey Pine Barrens, located in
Sweetwater and Batsto, New Jersey. Design,
photography and commentary by Veronica Coia.
My Mullica River Picture Book