| Shrub swamp provides dense cover
Bogs occur in two discrete patches, one on each side of Kimberly Run. These habitats are dominated by a low plant community surviving on perpetually soaked peat deposits (from the remains of sphagnum moss), an acidic and nutrient poor environment. The southern bog is neatly embedded within forest buffer, while the northern bog has a less distinct edge and is traversed by two old drainage ditches. The portion of the drainage ditches through the north bog has been reclaimed by sphagnum and other bog plants. Material from three depressions excavated by USFWS provided additional ditch plugging material.
The bogs include, of course, several plants specializing in acid habitats, such as cinnamon grass, cottongrass, bog goldenrod, crested shield fern, and the carnivorous plant round-leaved sundew. Stunted hemlock and white pine are unable to grow well in these openings. Patches of skunk cabbage and dewberry suggests that the sphagnum bog habitat may be changing or losing ground. The bog also provides an interesting comparison with the tract’s vernal pools, rich floodplain and shrub swamp wetlands, for educational purposes.
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