A Day at Quincy Bog Natural Area
Sometimes it is so much fun to explore someplace that is not my own back yard. One place I love to go is Quincy Bog Natural Area in Rumney, New Hampshire. I have visited this bog many times over the years starting with my first visit way back when I was in high school! Yes, that was a long time ago! I now live less than a fifteen minute drive from the bog so I can go there as frequently as I am able. One thing I love about Quincy Bog is that it is always changing. You never know what you are going to see or encounter on any given visit. From people to wildlife and even plant life there is always a surprise around every corner.
May 14, 2024
This was my first visit to Quincy Bog in almost a year. I was so excited to be back. Even in the parking lot I could feel the peace and wildness of the place surround me. It was a beautiful feeling. Walking down the trail toward the Nature Center, I could already hear red-winged blackbirds, crows, insects, and even a few frogs. I could smell the earthy scent of the bog and the forest surrounding it. I could see the glistening of the water through the trees.
Hobblebush
The first thing to grab my attention on the trail was this beautiful Hobblebush in full bloom. Hobblebush is a small shrub that grows to between three and eight feet tall. It likes to grow in rich, moist woods ranging from Canada south to North Carolina. I love seeing these large clusters of white flowers every spring!
Red-Winged Blackbird
The Red-Winged Blackbird is one of the most iconic harbingers of spring in New Hampshire. The moment I hear their “conk-a-ree!” call around the pond near my house I know spring is soon to follow! Red-winged blackbirds are a medium sized bird about nine inches long. Males are all black except the flashy red and yellow (and sometimes white) patches on their wings. Females look like they could be an entirely different bird! Females are generally brown with dark brown streaks traveling the length of her body. These birds are found around marshes, swamps, bogs, ponds, and marshy areas of lakes and fields. This red-winged blackbird was keeping an eye on me as I moved down the boardwalk. For a short time I enjoyed his company.
Sphagnum Moss
No matter where you go around Quincy Bog, you will notice moss. It grows at the edge of the bog, in the forest around the bog, even on the trees. The most characteristic bog moss is sphagnum moss. This type of moss loves the acidic, wet environment of the bog. This is a photo of sphagnum moss I found growing on the edge of one of the boardwalks.
Song Sparrow
Continuing down the trail, I can hear many birds around me. A trilling song catches my attention as it is right above my head. I look up to see this little Song Sparrow perched on a branch not even ten feet away. This sparrow is a little bit bigger than the swamp sparrow at about six inches. It can be found around marshes, fields, brushy areas, and around streams and wetland edges where there is brushy vegetation.
Mallard Duck
The variety of water birds at Quincy Bog is exciting. I never know what I will see from one visit to another. Sometimes I see wood ducks. Sometimes I see Canada Geese. Other times I see Great Blue Herons or Kingfisher. On this day I did see Canada geese with teeny tiny newborn goslings, but they were too far away for nice photos. This guy, though, was pretty amazing. As he climbed up on this log, he actually forced two painted turtles off. Then he stood there preening himself for a very long time. This is a Mallard drake. Drake is the word used to describe a male duck. Mallards can be found throughout North America in a variety of wetland habitats.
Lichens
There was something I was looking for specifically at Quincy Bog this trip. That something was Lichens. Quincy Bog did not disappoint me! There were lichens everywhere. I found lichens on tree bark, hanging from tree branches, and on rocks and boulders. This lichen was hanging from a tree branch near the water’s edge. It is a type of fruticose lichen. The fruticose lichens are three dimensional lichens that do not lay flat along the surface they grow from. Lichens are neither plants nor animals. Instead, lichens are a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an alga bringing them together to live as if they were a single organism. They can be found throughout the world in a wide variety of habitats.
American Bullfrog
Walking down the trail, I turned to look over the bog. A movement caught my eye. If he hadn’t moved, I probably would not have seen him! These large frogs are almost perfectly camouflaged to the environment they live in! The American Bullfrog is a large frog measuring up to eight inches in length and weighing up to a pound. You can tell an American Bullfrog from a Green Frog by its lack of a ridgeline extending down its back. Green Frogs have dorsal ridgelines down their backs. This bullfrog sat so still that if I looked away I may have lost sight of him if I looked back again!
Swamp Sparrow
I had never seen a swamp sparrow before visiting Quincy Bog a few years ago. I spent quite a while watching a cute little bird flit here and there around me as I walked slowly down the boardwalk. I wasn’t able to identify the brave little bird until I got home and was able to look closely at the photos I took. This time I was prepared for this little bird. I have to say, this has become one of my favorite little sparrows! The Swamp Sparrow is a smaller size bird reaching about five and a half inches long. This little bird nests in dense, tall vegetation in marshes and bogs. It eats mainly insects and seeds. I watched as this little bird was picking through the vegetation along the water’s edge and even vegetation protruding from the water, dining on whatever little insects it came across. Once in a while it would take an insect and fly away with it. After a couple of minutes it returned to hunt for more.
Painted Turtle
When you think of turtles in New Hampshire, you probably think of Painted Turtles. The painted turtle is one of the most common types of turtles found in our area. They are called painted turtles because of the bright reds, oranges, and yellows found on their heads, legs, tails and the sides and undersides of their shells mixed with its mostly black coloration. The top side of the shell is black. The painted turtle grows up to approximately ten inches in length but on average can be found between five and six inches long. This turtle likes to live in slower moving, shallow water with muddy bottoms. So bogs, ponds, shallow areas of lakes and slow moving streams and muddy bottomed rivers are where you are most likely to see them.
At Quincy Bog, I usually see painted turtles sunning themselves on mostly submerged logs out in the water. There were three turtles on this log when I arrived. Two quickly slipped into the water. This was the brave one that did not give up its spot. If you look closely, you can see the head of one of the other turtles in the water hidden by the reflections.
Water Strider
Insects are abundant at Quincy Bog. This is a good thing! So many animals and birds rely on insects to survive. From fish to turtles to birds, and even many mammals and other insects, bugs seem to be on the menu! One of my favorite bog insects are Water Striders. These half in long insects have water repellent hairs on their long legs that allow these insects to walk on water. Water striders are found in areas of still or very slow moving water such as ponds, vernal pools, marshes, and bogs. Water striders are an example of an insect that eats other insects. They capture and eat other insects at the surface of the water. One of the insects they really like to eat are the larvae of mosquitos.
An Amazing Place to Explore
There is so much to see and explore at Quincy Bog Natural Area. It is a place I go back to time and time again. I never know what I am going to see, hear, smell, or experience from one visit to the next. For more information about Quincy Bog Natural Area, how to get there, visit guidelines, and trail maps, please visit their website here: Quincy Bog Natural Area.
