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Dry Bog Research
Purpose

The purpose of the Co-op position was to undertake research to define a dry bog, its ecology and role it may play in the hydrological regime of the Annapolis Valley.

From a summer of field work and data compiling, three facts sheets were created on dry bogs. The purpose of the fact sheets are for educational use to inform the public about dry bogs: their identification, their ecology and the effects human activity have on the dry bogs.

Nova Scotia's Dry Bogs: Ecological Description


Dry Bogs in the Annapolis Valley
The main characteristic that allows the dry bogs to be easily recognizable is the dark green/brown Broom Crowberry (Corema conradii) which is typical of the dry bog sites. These sites are not actually bogs, as their name may imply. They are called dry bogs because their soil and plant composition is similar to a bog (high acidity and sandy soil composition), but they are very dry -- hence the name dry bog. Dry bogs are sometimes referred to as "Pine Moorlands" because of their characteristic plants, including pine trees, and plant members from the heath family.

Dry bogs developed on open sand along the Valley floor during glacial melts. Dry bogs also form when the top organic layer is depleted from the soil leaving sandy soil which can only support low ground cover, which is characteristic of dry bogs. The soil of the dry bogs is sandy which plays a big role in the hydrological system in the Annapolis Valley area. The vegetation of the dry bog actually acts as a sponge when it rains, soaking up the water and redirecting it to the Valley's aquifer (water supply) - also called infiltration. Dry bogs also are an important water retention structure. Ground water travels quickly through the sandy soil and if there are contaminants in the sand, such as pesticides, they will be carried with ground water, and likely into the Valley's water supply.


Dry Bog in the Annapolis Valley
Another problem with turning the dry bogs into intense farming area, there is an increased risk of loss of top soil with the removal of the dry bog vegetation. The vegetation has the unique ability, brought on by surface runners and underground runners of various plants, to hold sand and soil down to prevent it from blowing away. There is no guarantee that the crops will have the same effect, so that is a risk encountered when the vegetation is removed from the soil of a dry bog.

Dry bogs have specific flora that adapt to survive in the dry, sandy and acidic soil. Dry Bogs most often occur in and around Pine Stands in the Annapolis Valley which helps make them easy to locate. The dry bogs display a seasonal spectrum with early magenta of rhodora followed by the golden heather, snowy white blossoms of Labrador tea and the tasty treat of blueberries, all under a sculpture garden of pines. These natural areas can be maintained by their own natural vegetation and water levels.

Typical Plants of a Dry Bog

Scientific Name Common Name Habitat and Description
Antennaria neodioica Smaller Pussytoes Densely grouped low plants each with slender wolly stem, bearing a terminal cluster of fuzzy white flower heads. Found on lawns, pastures and in open woods
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Bearberry Evergreen shrub with terminal clusters of white or pale pink bell shaped flowers. Found on Sandy sites
Comptonia peregrina Sweet Fern An aromatic low shrub hosting rounded lobes and hairy stems. Resembles the leaf of a fern. Found in light sandy soil.
Corema conradii Broom Crowberry A low and bushy plant, has narrow needle-like evergreen leaves. Found on sandy or rocky soils.
Cypripedium acaule Lady Slippers A leafless stalk bearing one flower with a distinctive pink, inflated, slipper-like petal. Found in dry forests, particularly pine woods, in acidic soil.
Drosera filiformis Thread-leaved Sundew Insectivorous plant with lavender-rose flowers in a one-sides cluster on a leafless stalk. Found in sandy areas.
Gaultheria procumbens Teaberry The creeping stem of this evergreen shrub has branches with white, bell-shaped, nodding flowers in groups up to three. Especially found on sandy sites.
Gaylussacia baccata Black Huckleberry Looks much like a blueberry bush, but the underside of the leaves are dotted with yellow glands. Found in dry upland woods.
Hudsonia ericiodes Golden Heather A low woody evergreen with greenish foliage and outward spreading of leaves. Yellow flowers once a year in June. Found in dry pinelands and sandy soil.
Kalmia angustifolia Sheep Laurel Evergreen shrub with small deep pink saucer shaped flowers in dense clusters around the stem. Found in dry or wet sandy soil.
Maianthemum canadense Canada Mayflower Short, often zigzag stem, hosting a cluster of tiny, white star shaped flowers. 1 - 3 leaves. Found in wooded areas.
Monotropa hypopithys Pinesap A saprophytic red, pink, lavender or yellow plant with several vase like nodding flowers on a scaly stem. Found in wooded areas, usually in acidic soil.
Pteridium aquilinum Bracken Fern Grows in large colonies of over knee high, wavy, dark green, almost horizontal leaves. In full sun, woods, sandy areas.
Vaccinium corymbosum Low-bush Blueberry Low-bush Blueberry Shrub,with green or often red twigs, with terminal clusters of small, urn shaped white flowers. Found in dry uplands.

Trees Of A Dry Bog


Dry Bog in the Annapolis Valley
Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) : Deciduous: pale greenish-brown bark, fine toothed round leaves that flutter in the least breeze. Found in areas with light soils or sandy areas.

Northern Red Oak (Quercus ruba) : Deciduous: large sturdy tree bearing dark green leaves with seven to eleven bristle-tipped lobes. Stout acorns. Found in light well drained soils.

Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) : Conifer: two needled pine with platy red brown bark. Needles are brittle and break when doubled over.

White Pine (Pinus strobus) : Conifer: soft blue/green needles, five in a cluster. Cones are long and narrow. Found on dry, sandy ridges.

Largetooth Poplar (Populus grandidentata) Deciduous: Course-toothed trembling leaves, olive green to brown bark. Found in areas with light soils or sandy areas.

Pine Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) : Deciduous: this bright shiny leaves with two tiny glands on the stalk. Scarlet cherries in the autumn. Found in recent burn areas, cutovers and barrens. They prefer sandy soils and can not grow inheavy shade.

Why should we conserve dry bogs?

This is the most frequently asked question: There are many reasons to conserve dry bogs and a few of them include:
  1. Natural Beauty: Dry bog sites hold a natural beauty of softly rolling land covered with distinct undisturbed vegetation. This type of ecosystem is very unique, especially in Nova Scotia, and needs to be conserved and preserved before they disappear.
  2. Role in Hydrological Cycle: The dry bog sites have a role in the hydrological cycle in the Annapolis Valley. The vegetation found on the sites help soak up rainwater and runoff and due to the sandy soil the water soaks right into the Valley’s aquifer (water supply). Without the dry bog, the water would continuing moving past the dry bog and increase the risk of flooding. The sponge effect of the vegetation also serves as a water supply to near by wetlands.
  3. Unique Habitat for Species: Because this is a unique ecosystem, it is in turn a unique habitat for species.
How can we conserve dry bogs?

The main way to conserve dry bogs is to plainly stop developing them at such a rapid rate. Unfortunately that is not an easy answer for people to accept! There are a few options for people who do own dry bog areas:
  1. Limit development wherever possible, where development is necessary allow for as much vegetation as possible to remain.
  2. Allow for dry bog lawns, rather then replacing with grass. The dry bog vegetation is green and requires less maintenance as compared to grass.
  3. Limit use of dry bog areas by ATV’s, cars, motorbikes etc.. These vehicles can effect the dry bog vegetation and the animals found in dry bogs.
  4. Limit the number of roads going through a dry bog site. These roads disrupt the natural linkage of an area and in turn stop animals from being able to get to and from the area.
  5. Help change attitudes towards dry bog use and conservation. Remind people that development is not the only use for dry bog sites.
  6. Conserve natural vegetation bordering a dry bog to protect the dry bogs.
  7. Do not use dry bogs sites as a dump site
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