Pinhook Bog
Encyclopedia
Indiana’s only true bog is a special geologic feature of this region which preserves a large variety of plants with extraordinary adaptations for survival. See insect eating plants and tamarack trees; walk on a boardwalk that is placed upon a floating mat of sphagnum moss. Pinhook Bog is about 580 acres (2.3 km²), a quarter of which is a floating peat mat. The "moat" surrounds the bog from the uplands. Pinhook Bog is a National Natural Landmark
.
The runoff from higher ground around the bog is the only water source. There are not streams or groundwater inflow or outflow. Evaporation from the open water and plants is the only loss of moisture. A bog is different than swamps, marshes or ponds because of this limited exchange of water. The water in the bog is stagnant, acidic, and nutrient-poor.
Orchids:
Carnivorous plant
s:
Poison sumac
is prevalent in the bog area, particularly around the outer edge, the ‘”moat”. It is recognized by it compound leaves of seven to thirteen leaflets. The leaflets are smooth edge and pointed.
Tamarack or American larch is an unusual tree for northwest Indiana. It is a conifer, but not evergreen. It drops its leaves in the winter. As fall approaches, the needles turn golden until they fall off.
Blueberry
and cranberry
shrubs are common along the margins. Rusty cotton grass farther down the trail flourishes.
June 25, 2011, June 26, 2011, July 23, 2011, August 14, 2011, August 27, 2011, September 24, 2011
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
.
Geology
The Bog is a glacial kettle. At the end of the Wisconsin Glacial epoch, (14,000-15,000 ybp) a large chunk of ice remained buried at this location as the ice retreated northward. When the ice melted, the clay soil sealed the basins.The runoff from higher ground around the bog is the only water source. There are not streams or groundwater inflow or outflow. Evaporation from the open water and plants is the only loss of moisture. A bog is different than swamps, marshes or ponds because of this limited exchange of water. The water in the bog is stagnant, acidic, and nutrient-poor.
Plants
The outstanding feature of Pinhook Bog is the tree covered mat of sphagnum moss. Sphagnum moss is a stringy, delicate moss of a light-green color. The mat floats on top of the water and can become three to six feet thick, yet it can have a pocket of a few inches in the middle. As the mat thickens, larger and larger plants take root and grow. Under the mat a peat bed develops. The acidic water slows the decay of the sphagnum moss and other plants. With time, the peat may fill the bog from the mat to the bottom. As the moisture becomes less acidic, typical land plants move and the bog disappears.Orchids:
- Pink Lady's Slipper, Stemless Lady's-slipper, or Moccasin Flower (Cypripedium acauleCypripedium acauleCypripedium acaule is a member of the orchid genus Cypripedium. Members of this genus are commonly referred to as lady's slipper orchids. First described in 1700, C. acaule is commonly referred to as the Pink Lady's Slipper, Stemless Lady's-slipper, or Moccasin Flower...
) is pink, deep rose, to white color flower. It is the only Lady's Slipper with no stem leaves. The plant can grow 12 to 18 inches high. - Yellow Fringed Orchid, Yellow-fringed Orchis, or Orange-fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliarisPlatanthera ciliarisPlatanthera ciliaris, commonly known as the Yellow Fringed Orchid Yellow-fringed Orchis, or Orange-fringed Orchid, is a species of orchid.-External links:*...
) is a fairly tall orchid with a flower cluster that can be 6 inches tall and the entire plant about 7 to 40 inches tall. The flowers can be yellow to orange. - Rose Pogonia or Snake Mouth Orchid (Pogonia ophioglossoidesPogonia ophioglossoidesPogonia ophioglossoides is a species of orchid occurring from central Canada to the east-central and eastern United States. It is the type species of the genus Pogonia. It is also known as the "Snake Mouth Orchid"....
) is a small pink orchid found in the bog near the end of the boardwalk. The orchid is about 1 foot tall and the flower about 2 inches long.
Carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
s:
- Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifoliaDrosera rotundifoliaDrosera rotundifolia is a species of sundew, a carnivorous plant often found in bogs, marshes and fens...
) is a tiny plant with rounded shaped leafs covered in mucilage-tipped tentacleTentacleA tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
s. - Purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpureaSarracenia purpureaSarracenia purpurea, commonly known as the purple pitcher plant, northern pitcher plant, or side-saddle flower, is a carnivorous plant in the family Sarraceniaceae...
) has heavily-veined reddish or purple leaves in the strong sunlight that are folded to form a pitcher or cup, which is normally about half full of liquid containing digestive juices. - Horned bladderwort (Utricularia cornutaUtricularia cornutaUtricularia cornuta, the horned bladderwort, is a small to medium sized, probably perennial carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. U. cornuta is endemic to North America and can be found in the Bahamas, Cuba, Canada, and the United States...
) is a small terrestrial carnivorous plant that possesses bladder-shaped traps that feed on small soil insects. It is a recent rediscovery of Pinhook Bog. - Hidden-fruited bladderwort (Utricularia geminiscapaUtricularia geminiscapaUtricularia geminiscapa, the hiddenfruit bladderwort, is a perennial, medium-sized species of aquatic bladderwort. This species occurs naturally in the northeastern USA and Canada with one record from British Columbia in Western Canada...
) is a small aquatic carnivorous plant that possesses bladder-shaped traps that feed on small aquatic insects.
Poison sumac
Poison Sumac
Poison sumac is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 7 m tall. All parts of the plant contain a resin called urushiol that causes skin and mucous membrane irritation to humans...
is prevalent in the bog area, particularly around the outer edge, the ‘”moat”. It is recognized by it compound leaves of seven to thirteen leaflets. The leaflets are smooth edge and pointed.
Tamarack or American larch is an unusual tree for northwest Indiana. It is a conifer, but not evergreen. It drops its leaves in the winter. As fall approaches, the needles turn golden until they fall off.
Blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
and cranberry
Cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
shrubs are common along the margins. Rusty cotton grass farther down the trail flourishes.
Access
The Bog is open for ranger-guided tours and opened for bimonthly open houses from 12:00p.m. to 3:00p.m. You make your way down a small walk down to the bog. At the bog there are pontoon boardwalk you walk on for about a quarter mile through the bog, but be aware of the Poison sumac and you explore. You could also take a trail that surround the bog. The trail consists of meadows and forest and is longer then the bog trail. The perimeter trail is home to the Poison ivy instead of Poison sumac.June 25, 2011, June 26, 2011, July 23, 2011, August 14, 2011, August 27, 2011, September 24, 2011
See also
- Cowles BogCowles BogCowles Bog is named for Henry Chandler Cowles of the University of Chicago. Dr. Cowles is credited with the creation of the concept of Ecology. It was here at Cowles Bog that Dr. Cowles did his pioneering work. The bog is a National Natural Landmark. Cowles Bog is more than 8,000 years old and...
NNL at Indiana Dunes National LakeshoreIndiana Dunes National LakeshoreIndiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore located in northwest Indiana and managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966. The national lakeshore runs for nearly along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, Indiana, on the west to Michigan... - Indiana Dunes State ParkIndiana Dunes State ParkIndiana DunesDesignationState Park; National Natural LandmarkLocationPorter County, Indiana, USAAddress1600 N 25 EChesterton, IN 46304Nearest CityPorter, IndianaCoordinatesAreaDate of Establishment1925...
, where the NNL Dunes Nature Preserve is located. - Kettle (landform)