14 February 2012

We arrived at Shadow Lake Bog in Maple Valley around 11:00 hours. It was raining and very cold at approximately 5 degrees celcius. We were taken through several habitats within the bog. Apparently this is spider and bat heaven. We went on the field trip to learn about peat moss, wetlands, and bogs. The first habitat that we entered was a deciduous forest. The vegetation consisted of mostly Laurel, Spruce, Labrador Tea, and White Pine. There was moss everywhere. We passed through Hylocomium splendens, Sphagnum, Dicranium, and Buckiella undulata. I was lucky enough to answer a question correctly and was able to take a special walk along the peat bog. I collected enough Sphagnum for the entire class. I also saw an amazing Reindeer lichen. It was very interesting the different morphologies that the Sphagnum would take. I'm wondering if this was dependant on the amount of water that the Sphagnum was exposed to?

Posted on 23 February, 2012 01:43 by dkennedy