One Year Study - Brown's Lake Bog

Observing two different sections at the bog has been fascinating. Watching how the growth in the forest - protected by the trees - can delay the changes of growth and decay of the lower plants by almost a month is something I didn't expect. See how mid September on the boardwalk compares more closely to October at the loop sign than the September image. Both images are roughly 100 feet away from one another but the open exposure to the elements on the boardwalk have made the changes more abrupt where the trees have sheltered and insulated the undergrowth at the sign. The early changes too, compare the May images and you'll notice the cinnamon ferns along the boardwalk that have received more light (and warmer water due to the insulating properties of the sphagnum mounds from which they grow) are much taller and fuller than the typical topsoil you'll find in a forest. The most current images, however, show that once the leaves fall from the trees, the added insulation has left and the two become quite similar in their hibernation periods.
​