Poquoson (geographic term)

Poquoson are thick peat filled swamps found in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. They are found in the tidewater area of the coastal plain. The poquoson usually has a variety of flora and fauna including bay trees, tupelo trees, cypress and pine. Black bear can, also, be found in some poquosons. Poquosons are can be either flooded or dry depending on the time of the year, but many times are somewhere in between. Poquosons gain their name from an Indian term that translates out to "swamp on a hill", mainly because of the elevation added from the thickness of the peat that is formed in them.

There has been much debate on what the word poquoson actually translates out to, with some saying that it translates out to "swamp" or "marshy lowlands".