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The Skunk Cabbage Walk gathered about two dozen of us on a chilly but beautiful last Sunday of February. We enjoyed hearing all the wealth of information about the bog provided by Terry and had the privilege of Ralph Ramey's history and knowledge of the bog.
The People
This is the best turn out we have had since I started attending the Skunk Cabbage Walk.
more people pictures...
  Terry talking to the group about the Bog's bio diversity index. |
 Frost Heave at the entrance to the Bog. |  Does Skunk Cabbage Really Smell? |
The Skunk Cabbage
The Skunk Cabbage was everywhere. One of the more ambious youngsters on the walk quit counting well over 500 and that is just what we can see from the boardwalk.
  Skunk Cabbage |
 A single Skunk Cabbage seed. |  501... |
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As always Terry provided additional insights into the Bog, including identifying these Tulip Poplar seeds and discussing the squirrels that eat them. Tulip Poplars take in 50 gallons of water a day. And there are some huge ones in the Bog. The largest of which is "Grandma", the Tulip Poplar that is at the first fork in the bog path. One tree will produce thousands of seeds, most will be eaten by squirrels. The dozen or so that remain will grow sometime in the next decade when the climate is right.
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The Things We Saw
We saw lots more than just Skunk Cabbage.
 Iron Fixing Bacteria (rusty looking stuff in the water) and Skunk Cabbage |  First Marsh Marigolds ready to pop in the creek |
 Pin Cushion Moss |  Flat leaves on the tree trunk and ground are Liverwort. |
 Red Cup Fungus |  Dead Man's Fingers Fungus black tar looking stuff on top of stump. Over time will extrude into fingers. |
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