THE BOG GUIDE
Flora
The fen and bog of the Caribou Bog are two distinguished plant communities. The fen is more of a thick forest whereas the bog is comparably barren. Each area has a unique ecosystem that houses a variety of iconic flora.
Bog Plants
Bog plants are entirely and only found in bogs.
Bog Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos)
A shrub that indicates high water table and low decomposition rate. Leaves are less than an inch long and grow in whorled fashion up the branch. Typically turn purplish red in the fall. Produces the edible cranberry.
Bog Rosemary (Andromeda polifolia)
Another small shrub found exclusively in bogs. Neighboring rosemaries grow in clumps together with other rosemaries. Found close together with association with Leatherleaf, Sheep Laurel, Bog Laurel, and Bog Labrador Tea. Has bright pink flowering buds with narrow leaves that roll under themselves.
Cotton Grass (Eriophorum angustifolium)
This plant is not a grass but rather a sedge with a flowering part that resembles cotton. Found in open areas of full sun in bogs often growing together but otherwise scattered across a small area.
Bog Labrador Tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum)
This evergreen shrub is related to the typical rhododendron and turns bright red in the fall. Leaves are oval-shaped and smaller than but similar to the rhododendron. Prefers an extremely acidic soil and as such is found in the bog area. A tea can be made from its leaves (though acutely toxic if consumed).
Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
The most widely distributed carnivorous plant. Grows a pitcher-shaped structure that is filled with water with digestive enzymes that assists in decomposing insects that are attracted into the "pitcher". Pitcher is less than 6" in height though accompanying flower is well over a foot tall and is typically purple during the fall and faces downward. Found in the bog area.
Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia)
This evergreen shrub is about 3' tall and often almost twice as wide. Its flowers are thick and dry, often bright purple with leaves that are "narrowly-oval" and otherwise stubby by comparison. Particular to bog and fen-edges.
Sundew (Drosera)
This carnivorous plant attracts insects using mucilage, a substance resembling morning dew, to supplant the lack of nutrients in soil. Sundews in Caribou Bog are tiny, less than half an inch in size and are red or purple in the fall and green in the summer, with a shape resembling the sun.
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
This leafy plant grows to be under a foot tall and has iconic nearly-vertical growing leaves. It has a foul odor that attracts insects to pollinate it, which apparently "resembles" rotting flesh. Emerges in early spring as a purple knob, and can heat itself upwards of 50 degrees Fahrenheit (!) to break through snow cover and its rapid photosynthesis can heat surrounding areas as well. Particular to marshy woods like the fen and edge of bogs.
Ferns & Mosses
Ferns and mosses are plants that do not use seeds for reproduction but rather use spores. Mosses, however, lack a definitive vascular system. While they aren't all entirely unique to the Caribou Bog, they are readily identifiable characteristic.
Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum)
Named for its cinnamon-colored reproductive structure. Grows to be upwards of five feet tall and in incredibly expansive. Pinnae are symmetrical and grow on fronds that can be upwards of 3' in length
Feathery Bog Moss (Sphagnum cuspidatum)
A green moss with comparably feathery appearance. Grows in hollows (depression between raised earth from growing trees. Holds moisture well and acidifies soil. Used historically to sterilize wounds and even for water in times of drought.
Red Sphagnum Moss (Sphagnum rubellum)
A crimson-colored moss with a circum-boreal distribution, commonly in bogs. Has an ability to acidify surroundings absorbing nutrients in exchange for hydrogen. Grow in typical blanket-shaped fashion.
Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis)
An introduced fern from Europe, this fern is one of the largest of its genus. It can grow upwards of 55 inches and has broad fronds. Leaves (pinnae) grow across from each other and can be upwards of 2' long.
Rusty Bog Moss (Sphagnum fuscum)
This moss prefers moist and dark areas, particularly hummocks (raised earth from risen tree roots). Its color is typically that of rust and commonly grows in threads to establish colonies on other hummocks.
Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
A perennial fern that is sensitive to the frost, often appearing to wither quickly when exposed to it. Prefers wet soil, common understory in fen. Fronds grow over a foot long.
Bog Cranberry
Image Courtesy:
The Nature Conservancy
Cotton Sedge
Bog Rosemary
Image Courtesy:
Washington State University
Bog Labrador Tea
Pitcher Plant
Sundew
Image Courtesy: Mountain Lake Biological Station
Sheep Laurel
Image Courtesty: AMC NH
Skunk Cabbage
Image Courtesy:
Twin Eagles Survival School
Cinnamon Fern
Image Courtesy: New England
Wildflower Society
Feathery Bog Moss
Image Courtesy:
National Park Service
Red Sphagnum Moss
Royal Fern
Image Courtesy:
Minnesota Wild Flowers
Rusty Bog Moss
Image Courtesy: Tree of Life UK
Sensitive Fern
Image Couresty: USDA
Trees
Trees can be either deciduous and (leafy) or coniferous (cone bearing). Each of these are present in the fen while almost only conifers dominate the bog.
Alder (Alnus)
A deciduous tree with curious catkin reproductive structures. Leaves are typically oval-like and serrated in an alternate pattern. Most Alders in North America grow to be less than 10' though European species can be well over 30'.
American Elm (Ulmus americana)
A deciduous tree with oval-like, serrated leaves that grow alternate. Bark is scaly, rough, and easy to peel off. Growth form is typically canopy-like, over 100 feet tall and can typically live 300 years if not affected by Dutch Elms Disease. Likes wet areas like the fen. Grows at a fast rate and was the preferred tree of choice for parks and streets for its hardiness to pollution.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)
This conifer is unmistakeable with its webbed, scale-y needles and frayed, grooved bark. The White Cedar is found almost exclusively in wetlands (like the fen) and as such is particularly rare. Grows particularly straight and has recently lived to be at least 200 years old, though it is widely speculated the tree can live much longer.
Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)
Hardy conifer growing to about 50' on average. Its bark is a bumpy-smooth shape, with resin blisters and otherwise greyish-brown in color. Needles grow generally across from each other and are typically an inch in length. The cones stand straight up and are often 2" in length. The Balsam Fir is the most preferred choice for Christmas trees.
Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
A spruce frequent to the edge of the fen and in the bog. Grows to be 50' and taller though in the bog is it reduced to under 8' due to lack of nutrients. Branches are tipped upward at the ends and crown is distinctly upright with needles less than an inch long that grow singularly. Bark is typically dark, brownish-red, with cones being less than 2" in size.
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Tallest growing tree in North America at over 200' and among one of the oldest, occasionally living for over 400 years. Has an "air-brushed" style to its appearance. Evergreen, soft pine with 3-5 needles per fascicle with needles being up to 5 inches long. Pinecones are narrow and are often longer than needles. Bark is comparatively less scaly and even smooth in some cases. Found in uplands. It is the official tree of the State of Maine.
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Arguably the most common and most shade tolerant tree in North America. Grows to be 50' tall though typically a shrub, especially in mature forests; though it is hardy and tolerates various soil conditions. Leaf shape varies though it generally has traditional maple shape: lobed and about 4" across with samaras, which are the traditional "helicopter" seeds that spin to the ground. Turns electric red in the fall. Bark is scaly and cracked, almost quaked in some cases. Most common in the fen and one of the few trees to live on the perceptual islands of the bog.
Tamarack (Larix laricina)
A deciduous needle-leafed conifer whose leaves are arranged in a whorled fashion out of a single fascicle on branches. Pinecones are less than half an inches in size. Bark is scaly and otherwise brownish-red. Grows to 60 feet tall in the fen and only a few feet at most in the bog. Leave turn yellow in the fall and is extremely tolerant of the cold. The name is Algonquin for "wood of the snowshoes" and also goes by hackmatack as well as American Larch.
Understory Plants
Understory plants are generally shrubs and create a dense forest.
Chokeberry (Aronia)
A plant that produces cherry-shaped (though not cherry-sized) black berries. Leaves are symmetrical, dually serrated and about 3" long. Prefers moist soils that are particular of the the fen.
High-bush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
Quintessential blueberry bush that grows to be 6-12' in size. Produces edible blueberry fruits and waxy, green, oval-shaped leaves that are up to 2.5" in size. Found in the fen and other wet areas that have acidic soils.
Leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata)
Fern-looking shrub that grows to be 5' tall. Identifiable by oval-shaped, alternating evergreen (year-round green) leaves that turn red in the winter. Leaves are additionally leathery and thick.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
A member of the holly family with firm, waxy, serrated, green leaves and red berries that grow in bunches. Although a tree, its growth is limited to 16' tall. Grows wider than taller in wet areas, like a fen. Leaves grow up to 3.5".
High-bush Blueberry
Image Courtesy: Fall Creek Nursery
Chokeberry
Image Courtesy: Chicago Botanic Garden
Leatherleaf
Image Courtesy: University of Florida, Lee County Extension
Winterberry
Catkins of an Alder
Image Courtery: Contreverscial.com
Leaf of the American Elm
Image Courtesy: SUNY Orange
Atlantic White Cedar
Crown Balsam Fir
Black Spruce
Eastern White Pine
A Tamarack in the bog
A Red Maple in the bog
Sources:
1. Kaufman, Kenn, Kimberly Kaufman, and Eric R. Eaton. Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of New England. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.
2. Marchand, Peter J. Nature Guide to the Northern Forest: Exploring the Ecology of the Forests of New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Boston, MA: Appalachian Mountain Club, 2010. Print.
3. "MUCILAGE-RELATED10 Produces Galactoglucomannan That Maintains Pectin and Cellulose Architecture in Arabidopsis Seed Mucilage." Plant Physiology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 25 July 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
4. "NPIN: Native Plant Database." Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. University of Texas at Austin, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
5. "NPIN: Native Plant Database." Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. University of Texas at Austin, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
6. "CRANBERRY." How Cranberries Grow | Massachusetts Cranberries. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
7. "NPIN: Native Plant Database." Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. University of Texas at Austin, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
8. "NPIN: Native Plant Database." Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. University of Texas at Austin, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
9. "NPIN: Native Plant Database." Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. University of Texas at Austin, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
10. "NPIN: Native Plant Database." Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. University of Texas at Austin, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.