Seen in the Bog
In mid- to late fall, after the tamaracks are past their peak, does any color remain in Volo Bog? Of course! This Sunday, the bog’s delicate autumn shades of brown were accented with bold primary colors. The sky was bright blue—a perfect sunny day for bog tours!—and the winterberry holly was decorated with vibrant red berries.
Golden brown tamarack needles carpeted the boardwalk, making footsteps quiet. I startled a tiny mammal that darted under the boardwalk before I could get a look at it. A mouse, vole, or shrew?
With (almost) no leaves left on the bog plants, interesting textures revealed themselves among the branches. Large, frilly patches of light green lichen drew the eye. Many “beads on a stick,” the spore-bearing parts of the sensitive fern, poked up close to the boardwalk. The stems of red osier dogwood stood out from their brown surroundings.
The water level was also fairly low, exposing more “ground.” Near the eye of the bog, sparrows could be glimpsed foraging around plant roots.
Seen Around The Bog
In the marsh, there were cattail and woolgrass seeds blowing everywhere, as well as prominent signs of recent habitat restoration work.
