AP PHOTOS: Nature's beauty along Hog Bayou

From above, Hog Bayou is a winding ribbon of silver, its water moving slowly toward wetlands and from there into theWax Lake Delta.Closer up, you can spot the head of a floating alligator, its length a hint of its size and age. Each inch (2.5 centimeters) between the nostrils and eye ridge indicates a foot (0.3 meters) in length, at least until a gator is about nine feet (three meters) long and its girth starts expanding.Above, an osprey takes off from a treetop, probably hunting for fish. In be