Louisiana

Heading east, after Arizona, through New Mexico and past the wide Lone Star state, greens shade from dull to bright. The desert was pale pastels and heat devoid of moisture. Here, humid bayou flora flourish in black and steamy soil where hurricanes hit the coast, winds flatten sugar cane, and two rich-brown nutrias cross a placid canal. Their wakes, on the still surface, are clean and nearly perfect inverted V's.