Continuing my series on destinations to visit in and around the Mississippi Delta, today we're visiting the Leroy Percy State Park. The park was known for its gator population, so I had to check it out.

The first thing I saw at the park was a small palm tree, which was quite a surprise. I hadn't seen a palm tree in the Delta ever. I don't know how the thing survives.

When you come to the lake, this is the first thing you see. Totally exciting, but misleading, at least in March. I went all up and down the lake looking for gators. I figured they'd be up where nobody was bothering them, but I didn't see a single one, not in the lake anyway.

That sucker in the back is the best it got. I at least wanted to see it move, but even that didn't happen.

The park did have other animals, in it, though. I moved some logs in the forest and found this frog and some huge beetles. There were geese and things too.

For the day I went, the park was pretty dead. But, I bet the place is cool in the summer. I started talking to some locals about the alleged alligators in the lake and they assured me that they were there. They said that during the summer they come right up to the sides of boats looking for handouts. That information, along with the frogs and beetles that I found, suggest that it could be a pretty cool park in warmer months. Check it out if you get a chance.