The day I survived the BOG
When I was told we were going to the bog I was terrified because I had heard of the bog people. These are people who were thrown into the bog and their bodies were mummified due to the lack of oxygen in the bog (Magazine, S). I thought they fell in because my best friend told me that was what happened. Later I found of their bodies were disposed of in the bog for murder reasons, and even sometimes ritual sacrifices. This happened in bogs that were found in Europe, not Bear Lake. It was very unlikely that aboy person would be discovered in Bear Lake by Au Sable studnets, and none were found at the end of the trip.
Bogs are some of the most unique places a person could visit. They are like a trampoline wetland, every childs dream. There are a handful of different types of bogs, but the one we went to as a class is consider to be a kettle bog. This was formed by the glaciers and creates a depression or kettle. The water forms a lake and thick mattes of plant matter grow over top. The most common plant grown in these bogs is called spanghum or peet moss, which can be pictured below.
It can take hundreds to even thousands of years for a bog to fully form. All of the water that comes from participation falls into the kettle and is then trapped there. Bogs are known to be ombrotrophic, which means that there is little nutrients in the water, making it a harsh habitat to grow and thrive in (National Geographic).
On May 24, 2023 the insect ecology class at Au sable institute of environmental learning heading out with their waders, nets and various other thing to the Bear Lake Bog a few miles down the road from campus. Once we got to the bog, we walked on the mattes and saw the ecosystem up close. You were standing on the moss, but were surrounded by a brush like plant known as a leather plant. There were a few trees there, including the black spruce. When you looked up, you could see many little lepidoptera fluttering around. There were dragonflies buzzing above your head and damselflies moving about. One of the plants that is super important to Hoekman is the pitcher plant, so we were able to see those. Most of them did not have new leaves yet, but were exhbiting their old leaves from the previous season. The pitcher plant looked like a picher and is aptly named. Hoekman took a sample of the water inside and we were able to see the larvae of both pitcher plant mosquitos and midges: both of which are found in diptera. We saw a few other plants such as sundew as well. Carnevoiurs plants thrive in these enviroments since they can get nutrients from other places than just soil. If you want to have more information about the bog please visit the link below about Bear Lake Natural Areas from Michigan State University.
https://campusnaturalareas.msu.edu/Natural-Areas-List/Bear-Lake-Natural-Area
