May 26th, 2017

Cedarburg Bog Hike

Saukville, WI

ferns, green, boardwalk, summer, Wisconsin, bog — Boardwalk through a field of giant ferns.

About:

The Cedarburg Bog is one of the largest and most outstanding wetlands remaining in southeastern Wisconsin. It was designated a State Natural Area in 1952 and is maintained by the DNR and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Laura’s alma mater :))

It contains large expanses of cedar-tamarack swamp forest, in addition to marshes, shrub carr, swamp hardwoods, and both deep and shallow bog lakes. Its most unusual feature is the presence of a string or “patterned” bog, which consists of stunted cedars and tamaracks alternating with flatter, wetter areas dominated by sedges. String bogs are typically found much further north, and the Cedarburg Bog may be the southernmost string bog in all of North America.

Basically, it’s a beautiful and super unique area with a lot of biodiversities.

*http://bogfriends.org/

Our Hike:

Camrin got off of work early and what better way to spend the afternoon than doing one of our favorite activities, hiking. The bog is a short drive away and neither of us has been there before. When we arrived the mosquitos were out in full force, but that’s why even on an afternoon hike we come with a backpack full of gear. The trails were winding with several forks making it easy to get lost. This place is amazing in the late spring. There were tons of wildflowers in bloom including wild orchids. Boardwalks led us through the swamp and winding deer trails took us through a meadow. The section of the bog we were in didn’t go through the actual bog, so we weren’t able to search for any pitcher plants or sundews. Camrin has kept carnivorous plants and was anxious to see some in the wild, but sadly we didn’t do our research on where to look the day we went. Perhaps, if we have a little free time before we go, we can try again.

Here’s some photos 🙂