Visiting a Bog

[Teegate]

It is so rare to walk in the green woods and find a green snake when the vegetation is intense, and it is even rarer to find two. However, today we did just that. The first one must have been the mom and we did not know at the time there was another one right on the same branch. Jessica picked her (assuming it was female) up and that snake went insane. I have never encountered a more nasty snake and it was all Jessica could do to hold onto it. She even said that it gave off some sort of smell which was quite strong. Jessica had to wash her hands with liquid hand jell.

After releasing it I noticed the second snake on the same branch, and this one was much more accommodating and smaller.

Our goal for today was to check out an old spung or bog that we visited a while back on a PBX hike in the winter. There was evidence of a large amount of Bog Asphodel and I have decided to photograph it at various times in the next month. Our first find was Blue Flag Iris.

I believe this is early Golden Crest. That is also in abundance there but a little early.

The bog.

Grass Pink

The early Asphodel.

Rose Pogonia

Not quite ready.

Bob can tell us this grass I suspect. I think it is a grass???

A weed. I have these growing in my yard and have never let them grow. I think I will from now on.

A view.

I forget

Wildflower?

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

Really beautiful shots Guy.

That is a Rhynchospora in the one you call a grass. Probably Chalarocephala.
The second to last looks like Linaria canandensis.
The last looks like Deptford pink. You must have seen that one near habitation or people.

 

[fierodoug]

I saw a lot of the last one by the ore pond dam at double trouble state park the other day. The flower look awesome up close

 

[Teegate]

Thanks Bob. I actually knew it was Rose Pogonia. I was writing the text and added the photo's in later and wrote it wrong. The last one was along a major road.

Fierodoug...yes they do look awesome. And as you said they were all over.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

I KNOW WHERE YOU WERE!
Guy snakes habitually sling musk as a defense.If you think that green snakes musk smelt bad you should get skunked by a northern water snake.They are right down putrid but they would have bit her at the same time.Water snakes have very nasty attitudes as well.

 

[Teegate]

That is a great bog and the reason is there are no roads or paths to it anymore. It was tough going both ways but worth the trip.

 

[manumuskin]

Then perhaps that is not the bog I thought it was. Would this be a bog I visited earlier this year and posted about it? It sure looks like the one.It would have an active stream running through it.

 

[Teegate]

No. But you were near there I am sure of it. I will write you later.

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

No. But you were near there I am sure of it. I will write you later. Guy

Guy, let me know. I could swear its the same one that Al posted on.

 

[Teegate]

I wrote Al. However, this does not have an active stream running through it. I sent him the location and am waiting to see what he responds with. His description is not correct but I know he was right by there so it may be the same one.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

i was not at the bog but I was at the pond.there is also two vernal ponds east of the bog and south of the pond at roads end I'd like to check out.

 

[bobpbx]

Yes, the words bog and pond were the confusion here. When Al said he knew where you were, he meant the pond.

 

[manumuskin]

I guess the difference would be the amount of vegetation in it?many cranberry bogs have creeks running through them but they are bogs.When they are flooded are the ponds? The edges of the pond in some places are mats of vegetation,quite bog like.I wasn't even aware the bog Guy and Jess were in was there till He sent me coords.There be what appears to be ponds south of Thee Pond but they may be bogs or could they be spungs?What makes a spung different from a bog?because it's full of Leatherleaf?We need definitions here so if I get stuck and need help and I can get reception I need to know wether I'm in a bog,pond,spung,marsh,meadder or just SOL?

 

[Teegate]

On Saturday evening I made a late exploration to revisit the bog in this thread. Last year the bog was full of Bog Asphodel and other orchids and plants, and I wanted to return and look around again. This bog is a killer to get to and it was almost 8PM before I even arrived. The pine flies were terrible and after going though all that I did to get there I found the bog to be flooded and almost all of the Asphodel was not even growing. Only as I left did I see a small section that had it. Last year there were thousands of plants. I did find one Blue Flag Iris. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find thousands of tree frogs and I spent so much time looking for them it was dark before I started back out. Plowing through the woods in the dark with the pine flies chasing me was a struggle.

Flooded. You can see last years Asphodel and bladderwort.

Setting sun

Back on the red road listening to the Whip-poor-wills.

On my way there I was on the red road and came upon a vehicle in the road with the tailgate up. There was a man along the side with a huge camera that had the sheet you throw over your head. He was photographing the mountain laurel along the road. Was it anyone from here?


Guy