Fens, Marshes, and Bogs! Oh My!

I would first like to thank those of you who have taken this delightful journey through Ecology 355, but have only experienced it in written format. If you have followed us this far, I ardently encourage you to seek these wonderful experiences that have been described and photographed in detail--in the case of ecology, everything is better firsthand. For those of you who have now transformed into ecology "intermediates" and have been through all of the various adventures with our expert guides--Idelle & Jorge--I implore you to use your knowledge to preserve those precious environments we have been so fortunate as to encounter.

Which brings me to the wonderful wetland ecology of Bishop's Bog. Do not be fooled, though, a bog is not the only type of wetland. At times, a wetland may not even appear to be wet. 'Wet meadows' are one such example: for most of the year, these wetlands are without standing water. What exactly defines a wetland then? Our Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Environmental Protection Act defines a wetland as: "land characterized by the presence of water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances does support, wetland vegetation or aquatic life and is commonly referred to as a bog, swamp, or marsh..."

Above is the marsh found within the wetland preserve in Portage.

Upon arriving in Portage and finding our way to the wetland preserve, we had lunch. Yes, even Cortes had lunch before conquering the Aztec empire. Like those early explorers and conquistadors, once we had lunched we were free to wander about the marsh/lake area of the preserve--on the trails.

Much thanks to Shane and Mike, who were here on a previous trip with their plant systematics class, we were alerted to the interesting and diverse plants that reside in these very wet and acidic conditions:

Top from left: carnivorous pitcher plants in bloom, and sun-dew

Bottom: tamarack.

We also found a great deal of fresh blueberries, which we eagerly raided--a meal is never complete without a sweet finish!

Exploring and out competing the robins for blueberries, however, were not our only tasks for the afternoon. Out of the wooded trails, past the Portage Parks & Rec picnic area, across the street, and past the parking lot lay the ecosystem we traveled all this way to examine: Bishop's Bog.

Beware of the poison hemlock when you enter the trail to Bishop's Bog. It may look like over grown Queen Anne's lace, but it can cause respiratory shock if too much is ingested. The famous Socrates was condemned to death for impiety and given an infusion of poison hemlock. In more diluted doses, it has been used as a remedy for arthritis among other medical ailments.

It appears as a magical forest of flowers...

Once in the bog, we had two prerogatives: identify the plant species of the bog and measure the water chemistry.

Growing in the first area of the bog, just beyond the forest (of trees), we identified hop sedge, sphagnum moss, and leather leaf. Moving along the floating walkway, we found an area resembling non-wetland forest. Here we identified maple trees, oak trees, ferns, and blueberry bushes as well as the leather leaf, sphagnum moss, and a different type of sedge. We also found a great deal of exotic buckthorn. These invasive shrubs were introduced as ornamental plants. The fruits produce a severe laxative effect on the birds that eat them, causing the seeds to be distributed at random and all over. The shrubs will crowd out native plants.

Christy surrounded by cattails and sedge of the "first area"

Seven different aspects of water chemistry were measured in various areas of the bog. The average temperature was 21. 34 degrees Celsius; average pH was 4.98; average (spc) was 54.78; average (ch) was 33.26; average dissolved oxygen was 1.98; average (tds) was 0.0388. Lower temperatures generally support higher amounts of dissolved oxygen. The low pH of the bog system may be one of the reasons for low levels of dissolved oxygen. This is not necessarily a negative quality, it just means that there is not enough oxygen in the system to support large organisms such as fish. What kind of fish would live in this mucky area anyhow?

Left: Al using a yard stick to measure water depth near the hydrolab.

Right: Lindsey posing with the hydrolab...taking credit for doing water chemistry measurements

The diversity of this unique community is truly amazing. At times, one may not believe themself to be in a wetland. Some areas look mucky, but other than that it more closely resemble a forest rather than any type of wetland. Awareness of one's surroundings is important, and I believe it is one of the most important lessons I have learned here. There are so many micro-communities that are fragile and require careful preservation. The walkways through Bishop's Bog are an excellent way to explore the diversity of different communities without harming the species growing there. If you are looking for an interesting family adventure, this is the place to be--and don't forget your field guide!