Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog

Friday, 26 April (Part I)
Gulf State Park  — Gulf Shores, Alabama
Temps: Lo 58F / Hi 77F (14C / 25C)

We left home early this morning to do some sightseeing.

The bonus of our early departure … I managed to photograph a couple of murals we came upon by happenstance before they were blocked by vehicles.

I processed this mural photo for the Viewfinder blog, but I will post it here instead.  There was no signature that I could find, but the theme is appropriate since it is on the side wall of Blalock Seafood & Specialty Market in Gulf Shores.

Anyway, on with the primary goal of our day — exploring the Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog (WBPPB).  Had we not taken an alternate route down US-98 on our way to Gulf State Park on Monday, I would not have seen the sign for the bog, and I probably would not have known of its existence as it does not seem to be a much publicized place when you ask about things to do in the area.

23.4 miles (37.5 km) from Gulf State Park to the Pitcher Plant Bog (B)
and another 11.5 miles (18.5 km) from the bog to Fairhope (C).

I’ve been fascinated by pitcher plants since I first came across a mention of them.  Judy (of Travels with Emma) showed me my first pitcher plants when we visited her at Okefenokee NWR at Christmas (post here).  They were different varieties from the ones that are most prevalent here at the WBPPB, so I was excited to get going on the Kurt G. Wintermeyer Trail, which runs through the bog.

Parking the car in the lot across the road from the trail, we set out to explore the bog.

For those who, like me, aren’t familiar with bogs … what is it?  It’s a unique habitat created by the right combination of water, soil, and environmental conditions.  It’s not as wet as a swamp or marsh.  In fact, a healthy bog is dry enough to burn occasionally.  The soil must be porous to allow the water to drain.  Those are some of the basics.  Rather than turn this post into a thesis on bogs, however, I’ll just refer you to this excellent flyer from the website I linked to above.

From the signage: Bracken is found most often in open woods with relatively dry soil.  It can
form large colonies of wavy, dark green, almost horizontal leaves.  Growing to 3 feet (~1m)
high, the fronds are the earliest to appear in spring and the first to die with the frost.

Since the surface of the bog is fragile, and walking on it can compress the soil and allow water to pool, the raised boardwalk that runs through the bog is essential to its wellbeing.  A circular section about halfway up the trail provides the most advantageous views of the pitcher plants.  The trail then continues onto Weeks Bay where a small deck offers water views.

The trail runs through a heavily forested area before ending at Weeks Bay.

The soil that pitcher plants grow in is quite acidic and low in nutrients.  But that’s not a problem for these carnivorous plants — they get all the nutrients they need from the insects that make their way down the hollow tube (really, the leaves of the plant) where they die because they can’t come back up through the obstacle of stiff, downward-pointing hairs that encourage them to travel down into the tube in the first place.  A pool of enzyme-rich liquid at the bottom of the tube helps the plant digest the insect and gives it the necessary nutrients in order to grow.

A panel at the head of the trail provides information about the bog.
[click for a larger, more legible image]

Admittedly, we were a little early in the season to see the pitcher plants in full glory, and there were few other wildflowers, and none of the orchids that bloom in the summer.  One local I spoke with before we left confirmed that by mid-May the place is really spectacular.  Still, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting the bog.  That we had the place entirely to ourselves for the majority of the time added considerably to our pleasure.  If you want to enjoy the solitude of the bog, go early as the parking lot was filling up when we left shortly after 10:30a.

A stand of white-topped pitcher plants … the only variety we saw today,
and the most numerous at this bog.

White-topped pitcher plant Flowers.

Though numerous at this bog, white-topped pitcher plants are considered rare because
they grow in a very restricted range along the Gulf of Mexico.  As well, the beauty of the white
pitchers and crimson flowers, has led to over-collection and eradication in some areas.

Escaping the death trap!
If you look closely, you can make out the cilia — the stiff, downward-pointing hairs —
that encourage insects to move down into the pitcher.

As I noted above, we were a little early to see the other flora that bloom in the bog, but I didn’t come away entirely empty-handed.

Sawtooth Blackberry

Fly Poison
[not sure; let me know if otherwise.]

The Sundew is another carnivorous plant; it catches its prey on drops of sticky dew.

From the WBPPB we took the advice of the staffer at the Alabama Welcome Center and headed to the town of Fairhope, another 11.5 miles (18.5 km) northwest of the bog.  But … that’s for another post since this one is plenty long already.