A Walk in the Bog

I'm so unbelievably thankful to live in the pristine place that I do, and here's why- the peace and quiet of nature is only five minutes from home. For one class session, we met at one of these beautiful locations that I'm so blessed to be near- the Presque Isle Bog, a small area between the mainland of Marquette, and Presque Isle Island.

A bog can form two ways; one by terrestrialization, and the other by paludification. Terrestrialization takes place when sediments and peat (dead plant material) build up in a small pond or lake. When enough sediment builds up, plants are able to take root. When a bog forms by paludification, the ground becomes over saturated over an extended period of time by water. This can happen because of beaver dams, or man made construction. Bogs are considerably different than other habitats. Soil in a bog is much more acidic, but low in nutrients. It takes a strong plant to grow there. You'll usually find that trees growing there are Tamaracks, Speckled Alder, or Birches. Plants grow slowly, and decay even slower. Bogs have a way of preserving things.

One thing I was particularly fascinated by was the pitcher plants, a carnivorous plant. It uses a liquid to attract insects which then fall inside the plant, and can't climb back out the slippery surface. The flowers don't always blossom, but there were plentiful flowers when we were there, which means it has been the perfect environment for them. I also liked learning about the horsetails that we found. They are among the oldest terrestrial plants, and resemble bamboo. Since they have a tough quality about them, Indians wove them and used them as pot scrubbers. It's crazy that these plants, plants that were around during the time of dinosaurs, are still found in bogs today. I think that represents how great of an environment a bog provides.

EJ