The Beauty of the Bog

Being back in northern Wisconsin, I wanted to revisit the bog I saw in Barefoot Boggin’. In particular, I was hoping to see the flowers of the purple pitcher plants I’d seen last October.

Part of the difference between fall and spring is not only the flowers, but the moisture level.

There was another difference: the mosquito level. Although the dragonflies had molted, they’d really only taken care of the mosquitoes near the lake. As soon as I headed back into the woods to head to the bog, I got swarmed, even though I was well-deeted.

I knew it would be wetter (and more fun for bare feet) the moment I got near the first mini-bog. It had a fair bit of standing water in it.

Wet Mini-Bog

From there I went over the top of a small ridge, and descended into the other bog, which has a small lake in the middle.

At this point there are still somewhat high hummocks where swamp spruces can still take hold a bit. You can see the lake in the distance.

Looking Across the Bog

Spring flowers were blooming everywhere. Here’s a sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) I came across.

Sheep Laurel

The water level was high here, too. Here I was stepping not in one of the channels/trails, but on its side.

Bogwalking

After a bit I came to the end of the hummocks. Here I shot through the last one, with its tiny spruces, and some cotton grass.

Distant Lake Through Cotton Grass

And then I came across the purple pitcher plants. Here’s one with its flower.

Flowering Purple Pitcher Plant

It’s the leaves at the bottom that form the pitcher that traps insects. And here’s a closer look at the flower.

Purple Pitcher Plant Flower

They were scattered all over the place. I call these “The Three Sisters”.

The Three Sisters

In this shot, you get a good look at the leaves and how they form the “pitcher”. You can even see the liquid (with digestive juices) at the bottom.

The Pitcher

And what does the flower look like?

Upskirting the Flower

To take that picture I had to smush down underneath the flower and shoot up. I don’t think it has fully bloomed yet.

Here’s another pitcher plant sitting amongst a bunch of rust-colored peat moss.

Sphagnum and Pitcher

And finally, a picture of me. You can get a better feel for the terrain (well, not as good of a feel as my bare feet got). It’s a bit goofy, but I really had to lift my foot pretty high to get it out of the water and above the little hummock there.

Bog Bob

I had never really appreciated just how vibrant and beautiful a northwoods bog could be. This was a wonderful look at it even with the mosquitoes.