To understand how the bog functions, you need to understand sphagnum moss.
The moss is a member of the phylum Bryophyta. These non-vascular plants, no xylem or phloem, are one of the first land plants on earth. The moss is green, with some parts that are clear. The green is the chlorophyl that helps the moss achieve photosynthesis, and the clear parts are cells whose only job is to retain water in drier conditions. In the wet season, the moss does not retain as much water. The spaces contain air and help the moss float for the purpose of photosynthesising.
Growing to a few centimetres tall, the moss may remain connected to non-living parts of plants hundreds of years old, extending meters underground.
We have a few species of sphagnum living in the bog, all with their own preferred set of environmental conditions.
We cut a few strands of the moss off to check them out under our microscope.
Peat moss, as it is commonly called, often cleans the air around by inhaling hydrogen and exhaling oxygen. As the bog is very low in nutrients, the moss secretes an acid to help absorb these scarce nutrients.
We then moved onto the peat found under the moss. This is made up of partially decomposed plants. We found some and took a closer look, ripping the patch apart. We also looked at the uses of peat. From burning it as fuel to insulating homes. The children searched through samples, exploring the strands of partially broken-down plants.
The children then went off with their flashcards, finding and matching the medicinal plants to the ailment. The children thought that the bog was like a mini doctor’s office!
Up into the forest next.
We found a spectacular site to explore. Lots of Salal to clamber through, fallen trees to climb along and explore.
Once we had exhausted our search under logs for bugs, we headed to play a game.
The first involved some hemlocks who tried to take over the bog. The life cycle of a bog ends with the bog being turned into a forest. Encroaching hemlock trees, who don’t mind the wet environment, will slowly begin to take back the land. Other plants will follow the hemlock, changing the soil’s PH balance and enabling others to follow. We set up some cones that represented the bog. A few kids were assigned to become sphagnum moss. Another was a hemlock on the outer edges of the bog. A secret Bogger was also inside the bog. As Camosun Bog is the only bog in Vancouver, there is a group of people who self-identify as the Crazy Boggers! They stop the encroaching plants and remove invasive plants. The hemlock had to try and tag the moss; if tagged, the moss left the game, a water cone was removed, and the hemlock could move in. Meanwhile, the hemlock had to watch out for the Bogger, who could tag the hemlock, removing them. Super fun.
A story to end our adventure: Listen to the Language of Trees by Tera Kelly.