NSRWA Walking Club - Black Pond Bog in Norwell

NSRWA Walking Club – Black Pond Bog in Norwell
Sunday, July 14, 2024
10:00-11:30am

Please join Walking Club Guest Host Chris Jacobs on SUNDAY (not our usual Saturday), July 14th, as we explore Black Pond Bog in Norwell. Chris Jacobs is a non-profit professional with over 25 years of experience educating about and advocating for the natural world. Chris has a passion for native plant species, especially wildflowers (primarily because they are stationary and easy to observe!) She currently serves on the board of Wild Ones-South Shore, MA Chapter, an organization that promotes the use of native plants in the landscape. Chris enjoys exploring Black Pond Bog for its rich biodiversity and the unique plant species.

Black Pond  is a kettle hole pond, created tens of thousands of years ago by a large chunk of melting glacier. Long ago, as the white cedar trees and other vegetation that grew around Black Pond died and decayed, they sank to the bottom, creating a layer of muck. Over time, the water became so acidic that the surrounding plants could barely make use of it. What resulted was a unique quaking bog.  Black Pond is surrounded by sphagnum moss. One of few plants capable of growing in such acidic conditions, sphagnum absorbs water from the air, not from the pond. As it dies and decays, it forms a layer of peat. Other plants take root in the moss and peat, creating a thick mat at the edge of the water. When you step onto a quaking bog, you can actually feel it shake!  This July, we may be able to observe some unusual plants growing out of the sphagnum moss that surrounds the pond — the sundew and the pitcher plant. Both of these are carnivorous: they consume insects, which provide essential nutrition for these plants, that would otherwise lack nitrogen.  Pitcher plants and sundews, as well as wild orchids, are visible from  the boardwalk at the edge of Black Pond. We will also see several varieties of fern. Wildlife is abundant here.

Click here for directions.

While we love dogs, NSRWA’s walks are dog-free in consideration for all participants. Please leave your pooches at home.

The Walking Club is looking for guest hosts. If you would like to lead a walk on a local trail that you love, please contact Theresa Delahunt at volunteercoordinator@nsrwa.org.

This event is FREE, however, registration is required.

REGISTER HERE.