Beauty in the Bog

This is a pitcher plant, in bloom.  Now, we've got some of these growing in our own Black Spruce Bog here on Bondi's property, but I have never seen one blooming like this, and I confess it stopped me in my tracks.

We found this one near the boardwalk on the Spruce Bog trail in Algonquin Park this week.  There used to be more of them along the trail, but the idiots picked them. Just don't do that, folks.  They have enough trouble surviving out there without people idly plucking them out of the ground.

Bogs are tough places to make a living.  They are acidic, and pretty much barren -- a Green Desert. Little water moves through bogs -- so there is little oxygen available, and minimal new nutrients to fuel the plants growing there.  The pitcher plant has found a way around that problem by developing to be a carnivore.  The long slender pitchers at the base of the plant trap water, which in turn attracts insects. The bugs crawl happily down the sloping leaves to get a drink, often lured by nectar, only to discover that they cannot crawl back out -- thousands of tiny spines line the slippery leaves, all pointing down.  Trapped, the bugs eventually drown, and become a Bug Soup for the plant. It's a clever adaptation.  But then, in bogs, you find lots of clever adaptations.

Sunday Creek flows through the middle of this bog trail. The fragile sedges that wave in the breeze at the creek's edge are actually the critical drivers of bog development. Like Hamlet's Mother, they initiate the action, colonizing the water's edge and creating an environment that allows other plants to move in. As bits of the sedge break off with water action, they sink, and become peat. When the layers of peat build up enough, trees can begin to colonize the floating mats of sedge and Bob's your Uncle, you're a bog.  Thanks to the water flow in the creek, the sedge cannot join up in the centre to block the creek.  This is good news for the beavers who live here. They, too, contribute to bog development. As their dams back up water, the bog retreats. When the beavers move on and the ponds dry up, the sedges can move back into the water flow.  Water lilies find the creek a good place - the flow of water ensures that there is a good supply of both oxygen and nutrients floating by.

The Spruce Bog Boardwalk is one of our favourite trails. It is only 1.5 km. long, and it is wheelchair accessible.  That was important to us this week, since Sue has to use a walker, so many of the trails are simply too difficult for navigation.  Syl was up there today, with his motorized chair - this is one of his favourite "must do" trails every time he visits.

This is a closer look at the flower on the pitcher plant. These are the provincial flowers for Newfoundland, by the by.  They can be a deep burgundy colour, depending on the species of plant.  Caught in a beam of sunlight, this one seemed to be spotlighted just for our enjoyment. 

 

The fall colours are starting to hint at the glory to come. It was a perfect day to spend in the Park, but then, is it possible to have a bad day in Algonquin? We think not.  We finished the day with a great burger at the Canoe Lake Restaurant.