Qajaqs

There is another side of kayaking.  No – not the upside down side that many of us are so familiar with.

Kayaking can offer solitude and a way to enjoy the beauty of nature.  Take for instance, a floating bog.  I’ll bet most people have never heard of or been paddling through a floating bog.

Looking at the bog from afar, there is really nothing obviously spectacular about it; nothing that would really draw you in.

If you are the curious type, however, you will be rewarded with much to see.

We’ve all, at least, heard of the carnivorous pitcher plants.  Carnivorous plants  grow in soil with poor nutrients.  They need to get food from somewhere and insects are as good as anything. Bugs fall in and cry out “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”.  Then, the poor little things are digested in a soup of liquid and bacteria held in the bottom on the pitcher.  Yuck.

Here is the base of the Northern pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea, growing out of a base of sphagnum moss. It is the only pitcher plant that grows in Massachusetts.  The genus Sarracenia contains 8-10 species, most of which are found in the South Eastern United States.  Sarracenia pupurea is the only one found in cold-temperate regions.   Pitcher plants are threatened by urban development, drainage of habitat and runoff  containing herbicides and agricultural products.

Another group of pitcher plants with a stunning color palette:

Above the base of the plant, grows a beautiful waxy flower on a tall stalk.  It looks like this:

In addition to the pitcher plants, there are little Sundews, Drosera rotundifolia (round-leaved sundew), one of the most widespread species.  These and two other types of sundew can be found in Massachusetts;  Drosera filiformis (thread-leaved sundew) and Drosera intermedia (spatulate-leaved sundew).   They comprise one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants (over 100 species!), and are found worldwide on every continent with the exception of Antarctica.

They catch insects by trapping them in sticky tentacle hairs on the leaves.  Then, the leaf folds around its trapped prey.   The tentacle hairs produce an enzyme and anesthetize the prey before it is dissolved and absorbed by the plant.  Does it remind you of the venus fly trap you may have had when you where a kid?  Look closely and you will see them in the next photo, growing amongst the sphagnum moss.

They are more clearly visible here:

By now you may have noticed that everything is growing out of a base of sphagnum moss.  The living moss is like a big sponge, absorbing many times its weight in water.  Bogs are often drained so the peat moss, the decaying organic matter beneath, can be harvested.  Dried, compressed peat is used as a fuel source to heat homes in Ireland, Scotland, Finland and other countries.  It is also used as a soil amendment due to its ability to hold copious amounts of water.  Perhaps you have purchased peat moss to use in your garden.  Unfortunately, when the bogs are drained to harvest the peat, a valuable habitat is lost that is home to endangered species,  rare plants and animals.   It is estimated that over 90% of bog ecosystems in England and the Southern US have already been destroyed.

A few more sundew (don’t miss the brilliant blue damselflies). These appear to be Drosera intermedia (spatulate-leaved sundew)

and a final closeup:

Depending on the time you happen to go, you might also see the beautiful snake-mouth orchid, Pogonia ophioglossoides.  Of the approximately ten species of the genus Pogonia, ophioglossoides is the  only one found outside of Asia.   Here are two that seem to be enjoying each other’s company.

A few more:

If you are at the bog in the fall, you’ll find wild cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) growing and fruiting amongst the other plants.   The cranberry plant flowers in late June.  It was originally called the craneberry plant by the pilgrims because the flower reminded them of a sandhill crane.  Native Americans used the cranberry for its medicinal and preservative properties.

What would a bog be without the familiar Fragrant Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata)?   Did you know that the tubers of the water lily are a favorite food of the North American Beaver?  You’ll often find beaver lodges in areas with dense water lily populations.

The Fragrant Water Lily and the Yellow Pond Lily (Nuphar lutea) are both native to the US.

And one more water lily picture, because they are so photogenic!

I was not the only visitor to the bog.  Here are a few young Canada geese enjoying some time on the water.

That’s it for this trip to the bog; visiting a bunch of little floating islands, all different in their own way, all uniquely beautiful. I’ll be adding more pictures and updating this post as the bog changes through the seasons.

There is a myriad of information on the web if you want to learn more about the unique environment and the importance of bogs.  You can start here for a short, concise article:

http://www.ncenvirothon.org/2009%20Canon%20Envirothon/Aquatics/Wetlands/Bogs.pdf

For a little more detail and information on bogs you can visit in Massachusetts, visit:

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/natural_communities/pdf/bogs_fens_nonforested_acidic_peatlands.pdf

Here’s a good article about Global Issues and the Importance of bogs:

http://www.geog.ubc.ca/richmond/city/ImportanceofBeingaBog.htm

If you ever get the chance to visit one, don’t go too fast or you’ll miss all kinds of wonderful treasures.   There’s nothing like it anywhere else on earth!