Fifth MACPS Meeting/First Field Trip
7 pm on Friday, July 13 - 5 pm on Saturday, July 14 in western MD/northern WV
Cranesville Swamp, MD and Big Run Bog, WV
Our fifth meeting was also our first field trip! We had an incredible time visiting two bogs located in western Maryland and northern West Virginia. Friday night featured an overview of bog ecology by Sheila Garl, in addition to a plant auction. Saturday morning began with a visit to Cranesville Swamp in Maryland, where we were gently introduced to bogging with a walk on the boardwalk. After lunch, we headed to Big Run Bog, a breathtaking site that completely immersed us in nature. We waded through live sphagnum that came up to our knees, saw S. purpurea clumps several feet across and accompanying D. intermedia and D. rotundifolia, and sampled delicious wild cranberries. Big Run Bog was also home to a massive beaver dam. Both bogs gave us incredible opportunities to see how carnivorous plants grow in the wild, providing insight into their cultivation requirements and demonstrating the importance of protecting these habitats. A huge thank you to Michael Szesze of the Carnivorous Plant Nursery for scouting out the area beforehand, organizing hotels and food, and for serving as our knowledgeable tour guide during the trip!
 Plants available for auction the night before the field trip |  Group photo at the hotel the night before |  Looking into Cranesville Swamp from the road |
|---|---|---|
 Looking into Cranesville Swamp from the road |  Cranesville Swamp |  Cranesville Swamp |
 Billowy pillows of live sphagnum moss at Cranesville Swamp, with a Drosera rotundifolia |  Cranesville Swamp |  Cranesville Swamp |
 Cranesville Swamp |  Cranesville Swamp |  Michael, our guide for this field trip, discusses the biology of Cranesville Swamp |
 Massive clumps of Drosera intermedia at Cranesville Swamp |  Red and green live sphagnum at Cranesville Swamp |  Drosera rotundifolia at Cranesville Swamp |
 Cranesville Swamp |  Cranesville Swamp |  Walking on the boardwalk at Cranesville Swamp |
 Cranesville Swamp |  Michael, field trip leader, describes Big Run Bog in the woods leading up to the bog |  Big Run Bog |
 Big Run Bog |  Big Run Bog |  Big Run Bog |
 Huge clumps of Sarracenia purpurea, in bloom, at Big Run Bog |  Big Run Bog |  Big Run Bog |
 Big Run Bog |  Blooming Sarracenia purpurea at Big Run Bog |  Big Run Bog |
 Big Run Bog |  Big Run Bog |  Sarracenia purpurea at Big Run Bog |
 Sarracenia purpurea at Big Run Bog |  Creek with beaver dam at Big Run Bog |  Creek with beaver dam at Big Run Bog |
 Creek running through Big Run Bog |  Creek running through Big Run Bog |  Creek with beaver lodge at Big Run Bog |
 Creek running through Big Run Bog |  Creek running through Big Run Bog |