Espy Bog facts for kids

The Espy Bog, also known as the Espy Wetlands, is a special natural area in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It's located close to the towns of Bloomsburg and Espy. This wetland is home to a lake, along with different types of swamps and grassy areas. The lake might even be man-made. The ground here is mostly a unique soil called mucky peat. The Espy Bog is bursting with many different kinds of plants and animals, like birds, turtles, fish, trees, and ferns.

What is the Espy Bog?

The Espy Bog is a wetland area that includes a swamp and an open lake. You can find different types of swamps here, like forested swamps (with lots of trees) and shrub swamps (with many bushes). There are also open grassy areas, especially to the west of the lake.

This wetland is found near Bloomsburg and Espy, just south of a big road called US Route 11. Most of the Espy Bog is in Scott Township, but a small part of it reaches into Bloomsburg. It's also quite close to the Susquehanna River. Even though it's a natural area, it's surrounded by homes and businesses. A small stream called Kinney Run flows through the wetland.

The Unique Soil: Mucky Peat

The ground in the Espy Bog is made of a special type of soil called mucky peat. This is the only place in Columbia County where this kind of organic soil has been found. Mucky peat forms when dead plants, like sedges, mosses, and leaves, pile up in water that stays there all the time.

The top part of this soil, about 8 inches (20 cm) deep, is black and silty. It's very rich in nutrients, but it's too wet for farming. Below that, there's a wet, dark gray, silty muck. Underneath these layers, you'll find a brownish-gray sandy silt loam. Mucky peat soils can be from 18 inches (46 cm) to several feet thick.

Protecting the Espy Bog

Water running off from US Route 11 can carry pollution into the Espy Bog. This kind of pollution comes from many different places, not just one pipe. If people were to build dams or drain the water from the bog, it could really harm the natural habitat quality for all the plants and animals living there.

History and Fun at the Espy Bog

The Espy Bog has been around since the 1700s. However, it has been slowly getting smaller over the years, as noticed in 1982. The lake in the wetland might have been made by people, possibly when a nearby highway and railroad were built. In the past, people enjoyed activities like fishing and ice skating on the lake.

In July 1936, something unusual happened. Very hot weather caused the water to become still, and about a thousand carp and catfish died in the Espy Bog. Scientists checked the area and found no signs of pollution, meaning it was a natural event. Today, the Espy Bog is recognized as an important natural area in Columbia County.

Amazing Life in the Espy Bog

The Espy Bog is a place with a very high level of biodiversity, meaning it has many different kinds of plants and animals.

Animal Life

Many different animals call the Espy Bog home. In the lake, you can find freshwater mussels, including eastern floaters. There are also painted turtles and many types of dragonfly and damselfly. You might even see signs that beavers have been busy in the wetlands!

Many bird species live here, such as the red-eyed vireo, the song sparrow, the wood thrush, the northern cardinal, the great blue heron, and the cedar waxwing. Red-winged blackbirds are also often seen near the wetland. In the water, you can find fish like carp and catfish.

Plant Life

The main trees you'll see in the Espy Bog include pin oak, silver maple, American elm, white pine, ash, and red maple.

The shrub layer, which is made up of bushes and smaller woody plants, has many species common in wetlands. These include poison sumac, buttonbush, smooth alder, silky dogwood, spicebush, willow, and winterberry holly. You'll also find meadow-sweet.

However, some plants that are not native to the area have also started growing here. These introduced species include buckthorn, common privet, Morrow's honeysuckle, and multiflora rose.

The ground layer, or herbaceous layer, has several types of wetland ferns. Other plants include monkey flower, northern blue flag, marsh purslane, marsh St.-John's-wort, bulbiferous water hemlock, two types of tearthumb, swamp milkweed, and skunk cabbage. In the open, meadow-like areas, you'll find various sedges and grasses, as well as soft rush.