Meet at the Buxton and Landstreet Building in Thomas at 9 am

Leaders: Aaron Graham and Frank Gebhard

Join Friends of Blackwater for an exclusive look in the remnants of a much more northern land feature that is the Big Run Bog. Many of the plant and bird species present are species that were left behind after the retreating of the glaciers after the last Ice Age. At this site both species of cranberries can be found, bog clubmoss, round-leaved sundew and cottongrass, in addition to the purple pitcher plants that were transported here to avoid their destruction when High Point Lake was created over a bog that held this species north of the Mason-Dixon Line in Pennsylvania. Another interesting plant that can be seen around the bog is Golden Club. The birding here can be worthwhile as well with Northern Waterthrush and the occasional Nashville Warbler singing from the edges of the bog and the sweet songs of Canada Warblers and yanking of Red-breasted Nuthatches paired with the serenading tunes of Hermit Thrushes and the roller coaster ride that is the song of the Golden-crowned Kinglet bursting out from the spruce interior forest around the bog. Wear footwear that you don’t mind getting wet walking the edges of the bog, muck boots or water shoes are the best to wear. We return before lunch time.