Cabin Creek Bog Visit

Last Sunday we took a trip back to Cabin Creek Bog, Randolph County, to see how the site was faring.  It had been several years since I had been there, after spending so much time doing research there.  It was great to see the place again.

The Melanthium virginicum (or Veratrum virginicum, aka bunchflower) was blooming in the section known as the prairie fen.  It was much smaller this year than previous years, but still lovely.

The Royal or Showy Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium reginae) was almost past blooming, but several decent looking flowers were still to be found.  There were several in the sedge meadow section of the fen, but more in the prairie section.

The Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum plantagineum, aka Cacalia tuberosa) was one of the most frequent blooming forbs in the prairie fen and sedge meadow sections.

Dr. Ruch standing in the Prairie Dock and Hard-stem Bulrush.

Prairie Rose (Rosa setigera) blooming along the edge of the prairie fen.

What a lovely little shrub with red petioles!  Looks like some kind of alternate-leaved ash...

One of the highlights was finding some Grasspink (Calopogon tuberosus) blooming.  For an upside-down flower, it's not that bad looking.

Speckled Phlox (Phlox maculata) was looking good.

Sticky False Asphodel (Triantha glutinosa, aka Tofieldia glutinosa) was blooming in front of the Indian Plantain along the marl run.

Most of the Queen-of-the-Prairie (Filipendula rubra) was still in bud, but this one was looking pretty decent.  The Pussy Willow in the background (plus the ninebark) is one of the reasons that this site gets burned every couple years.

A group of botanists.  It seemed odd without Dr. Torke, who had spent a lot of time with us at the site.

This is the obligatory picture of the sundews.  I try not to think of how many sundews on which I stepped.

As we were leaving, I started to tell someone how the Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides) would be blooming here very soon.  Then we found one.  Then another.  Soon, we noticed that quite a few were blooming.

Cladium mariscoides (smooth sawgrass) in bloom.

Carex buxbaumii in full glory, with Eleocharis rostellata in the background.

More Calopogon tuberosus pics

I am glad this site has been preserved.  It was fun to revisit it and to spend time with the other botanists.

Common Checkered Skipper

Pyrgus communis - Common Checkered Skipper

This is my best guess, although nothing else seemed to look like it in the book. Sometimes I think common names can give the wrong connotation. He doesn't look like a 'common' to me. He was on a Shrubby Cinquefoil branch in the wet prairie part of Cabin Creek Bog, Randolph County.

A Few Fun Fall Flowers

Cabin Creek Bog, the north end of the main sedge meadow. I recently learned (or relearned) that Cabin Creek Bog, in Randolph County, is a National Natural Landmark. Dr. Ruch and I just finished another year of vegetative monitoring. I think fall is one of my favorite times there. There are so many interesting flowers in bloom. Below, are some of the flowers I have recently seen in bloom and decided to photograph, from many different sites.

Agalinis purpurea - Purple False Foxglove
I am glad it wasn't too late in the season to see these pink, fuzzy flowers at Cabin Creek Bog.

Bidens cernua - So pretty in flower, I wish it never went to fruit. ;) You can see the disc flowers have five petals. Photo taken at the Hal Ashton mitigation wetlands, but you can find this flower almost anywhere it is wet right now.

Circium muticum - Swamp Thistle
I always like Swamp Thistle. It has a cool habitat, a great flower, it isn't obnoxiously prickly, and the involucre is sticky.

These were blooming in a fen in Henry County

Euonymus obovatus - Running Strawberry Bush
Cool little Euonymus fruits. Southeastway Park, Indianapolis

Gentianopsis procera - Fringed Gentian
One of my favorite fall fen flowers.

It was cool to watch them open up on Sunday morning as we were monitoring.

Gentiana saponaria - Bottle Gentian or Soapwort Gentian
I found these blooming in Kosciusko County while on a delineation, in a very disturbed area. The mosquitoes were so thick, that I did not get a great look at them, but I am pretty sure this is the correct species.

I love the blue in these flowers.

Helianthus giganteus - Swamp or Giant Sunflower
These flowers were blooming at Cabin Creek and at a mitigation wetland in Henry County. They are quite gigantic in height, at times.

Lobelia cardinalis - Cardinal Flower
Cardinal Flower seems to be everywhere this year in wetland and prairie plantings, but it was cool to find this guy blooming in Schramm Woods, on Mount Comfort Road in Hancock County, where it seemed unlikely that it was planted.

Lobelia inflata - Indian Tobacco
I like this little lobelia.

Check out the inflated fruit. It is easy to see where it gets its name.

Lobelia siphilitica - Blue Lobelia
Our 'weedy' lobelia. Seems to be everywhere right now.

Spiranthes cernua - Nodding Ladies-tresses
These were blooming throughout the fen, with none falling in our plots. You got to love random sampling.

Cabin Creek Bog

Today Dr. Ruch and I completed the second out of three monitoring sessions for the year at Cabin Creek Bog. This wetland is actually a fen and has some wonderful plants. Our research specifically looks at the impact that fire makes on the plant community.

There was a decent number of flowers blooming today. This stand of Phlox maculata caught my eye.


The most exciting flower we found was a Grass Pink (Calopogon tuberosus) in full bloom. We knew this orchid was at the site, but we had not seen it bloom in four or five years. It is nearly impossible to find the plant when not in bloom. This orchid does not bloom every year, and this individual was not the same one that we saw last time. Makes you wonder how many individuals are there.


I got to see a flower today that I had not seen blooming before. I had seen the plant in its vegetative state many times, but I had not been lucky enough to catch it blooming. This little flower is Marsh Bellflower (Campanula aparinoides). Its blooms are tiny and do not last long. The name aparinoides must mean that it is rough/sticky like Galium aparine.

Triantha glutinosa was blooming along the marl runs. This plant is sticky in the other sense; it is sticky like glue. Glutinosa should give that away. One of the common names is Sticky False-asphodel, which always reminds me of Sam and Frodo in the Morgul vale.

Another sticky plant, the round-leaf sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) was just starting to send up their flowering stalk. They cover the moss where there is decent light and plenty of moisture.

Hypoxis hirsuta

Yellow Star Grass

Viola cucullata

Blue Marsh Violet

Lathyrus palustris

Today Dr. Ruch and I completed the first (of three) rounds of monitoring at Cabin Creek Bog, in Randolph County, IN. Not too many plants, other than cyperaceae, were flowering. One that was flower was the Marsh Pea, or Lathyrus palustris.

The Buckeye

Will County, Illinois June 11, 2008.
Junonia coenia from Cabin Creek Bog

Cabin Creek Bog

Helianthus giganteus - Cabin Creek Bog
Dr. Ruch and I just finished up our last sampling period for the year at Cabin Creek Bog. It is a lot of work, but it is done now. Last week the Spiranthes (a white orchid) were glorious. Now the Gentianopis are blooming. It is pretty cool how quickly the flowers change out at the fen.

Praying Mantis eating a Bumblebee

Dr. Ruch and I are finishing up the third sampling period for the year at Cabin Creek Bog, Randolph County. The prairie area has a lot of praying mantises waiting in ambush on the flowers. This one had staked out a swamp thistle. The poor bumblebee was still buzzing while he was being eaten. Pretty fearsome.

Tofieldia glutinosa

One of the lilies that grows out in the fen. Sticky Tofieldia is on the state's rare plant list. The flower gets its name from sticky glands on the stem.