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An Extraordinary Walk on Water at Pinhook Bog by Paula Mchugh

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An Extraordinary Walk on Water at Pinhook Bog by Paula Mchugh THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 22, Number 28 Thursday, July 20, 2006 An Extraordinary Walk on Water at Pinhook Bog by Paula McHugh Interpretive guides at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore provide a guided trek to Pinhook Bog off Wozniak Road on weekends through October. Like nowhere else within the park’s boundaries, the 145-acre bog supports an environment so extraordinary that anyone wishing to explore its rare features must make a reservation to do so. (NPS photo provided). Imagine this: you are walking upon a thick sponge, Morning light shines along the bog. You are awake, listening to gurgling and sloshing beneath your feet. not dreaming. Your nose recognizes the musky sur- To your left and to your right are thick growths of high roundings; your eyes see only a part of the story of the bush blueberries, with poison sumac intermixed. quaking landform you are standing upon-- sphagnum Just inside your field of vision you notice a small snake moss, a thick layer of peat, and oxygen-starved water slithering along a branch of a thin-needled tama- descending sixty feet below at its deepest point. rack. In a clearing just ahead, murky water can’t “It’s not every day you get to see something like this,” disguise the palm-sized frog whose come up for air to said IDNL interpretive guide Jennifer Lute. “This is see who’s come to visit. Curiosity sated, he disappears my favorite spot (in all of the Indiana Dunes National into the brownish quagmire at the same time insect Lakeshore).” victims disappear within the neighboring plants. Carnivorous plants. Pinhook Bog Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 July 20, 2006 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.bbpnet.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also Subscription Rates delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. 1 year $28 6 months $16 3 months $10 1 month $5 Pinhook Bog Continued from Page 1 vegetation, including the tamaracks, picked up the rip- Jennifer and other interpretive guides at Indiana ples and soon were swaying too. Dunes National Lakeshore provide a guided trek to In addition to the frog, we caught glimpses of Pinhook Bog on weekends through October. Like snakes, thanks to the sharp eyes of two little boys who nowhere else within the park’s boundaries, the 145- were part of our trekking group. They—the snakes— acre bog supports an environment so extraordinary did not intend to get close to us though. Barely tol- that anyone wishing to explore its rare features must erating our presence, the harmless vipers slipped make a reservation to do so. Each scheduled trek is off into what we grownups hoped was the back of beyond. limited to 15 people. As a designated National Natural We wanted snake-less views of the pitcher plant, the Landmark since 1965, Pinhook Bog holds strange and sundews, and bladderwort—carnivores all. delicate wonders that need to remain protected for pos- The pitcher plants resemble open mouths just terity. waiting for tasty bits of nourishment. Since they do “This is the only true bog in Indiana,” Jennifer said, not get nourishment from the nutrient-poor water, nature explaining that the bog water held captive by imper- has provided them with stealthy traps for clueless meable clay has only rainwater and snowmelt to insects. The pitcher plant seduces its insect prey replenish it. with a slippery slope. Imagine a waterslide—one trip to the bottom of the pool, and no way out. The bac- teria-and-enzyme-filled pool digests its meal. It’s a pas- sive approach, but considering the number of pitch- er plants we saw, it gets the job done. “This is the only true bog in Indiana,” IDNL interpreter Jennifer Lute said, allowing us to visualize how the bog water held captive by impermeable clay has only rainwater and snowmelt to replenish it. That is what makes it different from a marsh, she said. A marsh has groundwater flowing into it, where- as a true bog can best be visualized as a container hold- The pitcher plants resemble open mouths just waiting for tasty bits of ing water. Pinhook Bog’s origins date back at least 12,000 nourishment. Since they do not get nourishment from the nutrient-poor years, when receding glacial melt left a big chunk of water, nature has provided them with stealthy traps for clueless insects. ice buried in this location. When the ice chunk melt- (NPS photo provided). ed, it was trapped in the clay container. The sphag- The more active sundews thrive here, too. These num moss grew inward, much like a sponge in water, sneaky insect eaters lure their crawling or flying forming what Jennifer described as a “shaggy green victims with the promise of sweet nectar secretions. carpet.” We bog trekkers found that the shaggy car- The sundews’ tiny red glands work like glue. Once an pet had much “give” as we walked along a specially- insect is captured, the glands bend and do their constructed boardwalk that floats atop the moss. In digestive magic on the glands of their leaves. The blad- unison, we leaned left, leaned right, and watched derworts, on the other hand, prey upon aquatic vic- the response to our quaggy experiment: surrounding tims. These plants were built with a trap door that THE July 20, 2006 Page 3 captivates-- both humans who study their eating habits and insects whose end time has come. Open ‘til 6 p.m. And as long as we’re discussing eating habits, we Evenings might as well mention the bumper crop of blueberries along the boardwalk. They are pickable at one’s own risk—the risk being danger of brushing against poi- son sumac. Jennifer warned our group about that, but she allowed us to sample the healthy blue orbs. www.littlehousefashions.comElegant Apparel for the Blueberries appear abundant here in July. On the other [email protected] Conscious Woman Women’s Apparel hand, pink ladyslipper can be viewed only in the late spring, around May. Several species of orchids favor Pinhook Bog’s environment. One of the commoner ones, according to Jennifer, is the yellow-laced orchid. SIDEWALK DAYS Spring & Summer 30%-50% Off New Fall Arriving Daily!!! Bali Batiks… wonderful dress and jacket. Comfortable Jennifer Lute passed around a sample of sphagnum moss, which is and stylish. Shirring known as peat moss when decayed. The moss, which absorbs water like a sponge, was used for diapers by the on top of dress with Native Americans who lived in the area. unique beading on the In the fall, the tamaracks’ golden needles fall to the Floral Pattern length floor of the bog. The blueberries and orchids may be dress with side slits, gone, but the trekker will be afforded a slightly dif- button up shirt jacket ferent view during that time of year. with flower shaped Pinhook Bog Continued on Page 4 buttons. High quality Rayon Batik Fabric. Washable. $65.10 On Sale! Tent Sale - 50% off plus another 40% off Early birds gets the …! Meet Us For Lunch And A Style Show WEDNESDAY, JULY 26 - HANNAH’S, NEW BUFFALO 409409 Alexander StreetStreet, LaPorte, IN 326-8602 On Hwy 35 - 5 Blocks South of Lincolnway As a designated National Natural Landmark since 1965, TurnTurn Rightright on AlexanderAlexander Pinhook Bog holds strange and delicate wonders that Monday-FridayMonday - Friday10 am 9:30to 6 pmto 7 Saturday Saturday 9:30 9:30 am to to5 5 pm need to remain protected for posterity. THE Page 4 July 20, 2006 Pinhook Bog Continued from Page 3 The property that is now owned by the IDNL was once owned by the Jackman family. Jennifer report- ed that the Jackman’s picked and sold the bog blue- berries from their farm stand on Wozniak Road. Their house was where the parking lot is now, and the family allowed trekkers to see the bog. According to history archives at the Michigan City Public Library, those who ventured into the bog (when the property was still under the stewardship of the Jackman’s) had to rough it. There was no boardwalk, so one had to slosh through mucky water to reach the sphagnum carpet. If you are considering a visit to Pinhook Bog, be aware of certain limitations. In addition to having to reserve a spot on a scheduled trek, you will be descending two short flights of stairs into a gated area. Just beyond the gate, the walk proceeds past a “moat,” an area less According to history archives at the Michigan City Public Library, those who ventured into the bog (when the property was still under the steward- ship of the Jackman’s) had to rough it. There was no boardwalk, so one had to slosh through mucky water to reach the sphagnum carpet. (NPS photo provided). acidic than the quaking bog beyond. Cattails, ferns, arrowroot, and other plants live here, but not past a certain point. You’ll be warned about the poison ivy along the descent, and about poison sumac. During our visit, the vegetation—mainly thick growths of blue- berry bushes, makes the boardwalk seem narrow.
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