BOGS

[starcle]

Being an environmental science student is great, we have the best field trips. Sure, I had to be ready to go by 8 AM, but it was worth it.

We spent the first half of the day visiting a forest that was under the ownership (as much as land can be owned, of course) of a scientific organization. The organization has a policy of informational openness, publishing most of its datasets for free and encouraging anyone with an idea for an experiment to apply to use their forest for it! We got to tour the forest and see some of the experiments that were going on, while the tour guide pointed out all the trees we passed by and their ecological significance, as well as threats to their health (o7 to those hemlocks... you will live on in our hearts...)

In the second half of the day, we visited a PITCHER PLANT BOG. It's kinda funny, I usually think of carnivorous plants as something that only happen farther south, but it was very cold today and those pitcher plants seemed to be having a grand old time.

The really cool thing about this bog was that huge parts of it were covered in sphagnum moss. When sphagnum moss gets thick enough, you can walk on it! It ripples like water, because it mostly is water, but it's strong enough to hold a person's weight. I really want to go back there sometime... preferably with chest waders.