The Jackson Bog By: Prof. Tammy Bixler

The Jackson Bog The bog is located on Fulton Road just behind Jackson High School.

Nature Preserve The bog area is a STATE NATURE PRESERVE. What other places have you been to that are NATURE PRESERVES? Are there any other bogs close by? Cedar Bog (Champaign County), Frame Lake Fen (Portage County, Tinker’s Creek-manmade), Cooperrider-Kent (Portage County, largest stand of Tamarack trees), Triangle Lake Bog (Portage County, kettle lake bog--acidic, least disturbed), Brown’s Lake Bog (Wayne County)

Here’s a map showing all of Ohio’s publicly accessible natural preserves. Do you see the Jackson Bog?

Background Facts The Jackson Bog is 57 acres. It is a fen bog. How are bogs created? Glaciers moved through Ohio starting over a million years ago. The most recent was the Wisconsinian which was about 25,000 years ago. It lies at the foot of a sandy kame (naturally deposited hill or ridge).

Kames and Aquifers These kames allowed for extensive aquifers.

How do bogs continue to exist since the glaciers are gone? There are belts of kames in Stark County which give us extensive aquifers. These very permeable gravel deposits readily hold surface water which gives us a staggering amount of groundwater.

Where does the water come from? There are fresh water springs. These springs carry limestone and dolomite in a yellow-gray solution called marl.

Plant Adaptations Because the marl is so alkaline and because it’s so nutrient deprived, many plants have to adapt to these harsh living conditions. There are two ways that they have adapted. First, many live close to the ground. Secondly, many have become carnivorous. This picture is of the pitcher plant which is carnivorous. If nutrients are low, what adaptations may a plant make to survive?

Shrubby Cinquefoil The shrubby cinquefoil is an indicator species of the fen bog. It is usually located as you enter the bog in a sunny area. These plants will show the bright yellow flower throughout the summer and into early autumn. They can be found far north of the Arctic Circle. It is the state flower of Alaska.

Swamp Thistle Swamp thistle is a purple-pink flowering plant which flowers in the late summer. The flower is sticky not prickly. It is one of the taller plants in the fen meadow standing as tall as 10 feet. This is also an indicator species.

Skunk Cabbage This is skunk cabbage which is among some plants with very unusual chemical makeup. It has alkaloids in its structure which cause it to actually create heat from the chemical reactions. This heat attracts insects. This causes pollination in mid-winter. When broken the leaves emit a very foul odor.

Invasive species Invasive species are serious threats to the bog. They are not part of the native plant community. They are usually the result of man made activity. Reed canary grass, purple loostrife, and glossy buckhorn are examples of invasive species at the Jackson bog.

Glossy Buckhorn Glossy buckhorn can be a shrub or small tree. This is a serious invasive species. It produces flower and a fruit from mid-May until October. The small, black fruit is eaten by songbirds and is quickly spread across the wetland.

Poison Sumac

Why are bogs important ecosystems? In conclusion bogs are unique ecosystems that show us a glimpse of a different variety of plant species.