Diario de trscavo

Members of genus Heracleum are commonly called hogweeds or cowparsnips. We have three species in Vermont:

1. Common Cowparsnip (Heracleum maximum)
2. European Cow-Parsnip (Heracleum sphondylium)
3. Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)

Only Heracleum maximum is native to Vermont, the other two species are introduced. In particular, Heracleum mantegazzianum, which is highly invasive, has been positively identified at a number of sites, including the following:

• Along the Mallory Brook Trail in East Montpelier (observations)
• Along Lake Ninevah Road in Mt Holly (observations)
• Along Sodom Pond Road in Adamant (observation)

On the other hand, little is known about Heracleum sphondylium in Vermont. New Flora of Vermont [2015] says the species is found along "Roadsides and old fields: occasional (locally common in northeastern Essex Co.). Specimens seen from Essex, Orleans, and Franklin counties." As of July 2023, there are few (if any) positively identified observations of this species in Vermont.

Scanlon Bog was briefly described by Hub Vogelmann in part 2 of Natural areas of Vermont [1969]. According to Vogelmann, the bog is in the town of Brandon in Rutland County; however, the GPS coordinates given by him happen to be in the town of Leicester in Addison County. I assume Vogelmann obtained his GPS coordinates from a USGS hardcopy map, in which case they should probably be taken with a grain of salt. In any case the precise location of Scanlon Bog remained a bit of a mystery (to me) until recently.

I used the iNaturalist Explore tool to find bog plants in the general area specified by Vogelmann. These seemed to be clustered in an area just east of Town Farm Road in Brandon. On July 15, 2023, I traveled to this area, parked the car along the side of the road, and looked around. I was surprised to find a small sign in the trees that read: Natural Area, managed by The Nature Conservancy. I found Scanlon Bog!

Okay, that's the good news. The bad news is that the bog was impenetrable due to high water. I walked along the edge of a woods looking for an entry point but the water prevented access to the interior of the bog. I know it's accessible since numerous people have posted observations in Scanlon Bog. Oh well, I'll just have to try again at a later time,.

RESOURCES

• The Nature Conservancy sign is at GPS coordinates (43.84127, -73.07976)
• "Scanlon Bog" in: Indridason, Louise and Ottar (1974). "Vermont's Natural Areas: Part 5, Bogs." Vermont Life 28 (4), 57–59.
• Scanlon Bog (16 acres), Vermont Chapter of The Nature Conservancy: Visitation Guidelines
• Scanlon Bog in the Brandon Town Plan

Louise and Ottar Indridason wrote a series of articles entitled "Vermont's Natural Areas" published in Vermont Life magazine in 1973–4:

1. Indridason, Ottar and Louise (1973). "Natural Areas—Creation's Legacy." Vermont Life 27 (4), 10–15. Featuring: Mt Mansfield
2. Indridason, Louise and Ottar (1973). "Vermont's Natural Areas: Part 2, Deciduous Forests." Vermont Life 28 (1), 41–45. Featuring: Gifford Woods State Park, Vernon Black Gum Swamp
3. Indridason, Louise and Ottar (1973). "Vermont's Natural Areas: Part 3, Marshes." Vermont Life 28 (2), 6–10. Featuring: Dead Creek Marsh, Little Otter Creek
4. Indridason, Louise and Ottar (1974). "Vermont's Natural Areas: Part 4, Miller Brook Cirque and the Chazyan Reefs." Vermont Life 28 (3), 50–53. Featuring: Miller Brook Cirque, Chazyan Reefs
5. Indridason, Louise and Ottar (1974). "Vermont's Natural Areas: Part 5, Bogs." Vermont Life 28 (4), 57–59. Featuring: Molly Bog, Scanlon Bog

Most of the natural areas featured in the articles were first described by Hub Vogelmann in his two-part booklet Natural areas of Vermont published in 1964 and 1969. I've been to Mt Mansfield of course but I've not visited the other natural areas described in the Indridason articles. Have you been to any of these places?

Pherrins Bog was described by Hub Vogelmann in part 2 of Natural areas of Vermont [1969]. It is said to be a small (2 acre) bog on privately-owned land in the town of Morgan in Orleans County, about 4 miles north of Island Pond between VT 114 and the Pherrins River.

I visited this area on July 23, 2023, but I can't say I found Pherrins Bog. The Pherrins River crosses the highway at least three times in a 2-mile stretch so it's hard to know what side of the highway Vogelmann was referring to. In any case, I marked some points of interest on a map for reference. If anyone knows or finds out more, please add a comment.

• My observations on this day

Beaver Pond is a remote 40-acre pond in the Bill Sladyk Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Orleans County. In part 2 of Natural areas of Vermont [1969], Hub Vogelmann described a cedar bog at one end of Beaver Pond, but beyond that, no details were given.

Here I provide an online map for reference. The map shows Beaver Pond to be in the far northwest corner of the WMA, just a few hundred feet from the Canadian border. I visited this area on July 24, 2023. From the designated parking area, I hiked an old woods road (now called the Round Pond Trail) to its intersection with the Beaver Pond Trail. At the end of the Beaver Pond Trail, I found a primitive campsite and two small boats, but no bog. Since the forest along the southern shore of the pond was dense, I decided to retrace my steps and try another approach.

A different map showed an alternate trail to Beaver Pond, so I decided to try that. To make a long story short, I found a cedar bog at the end of that trail. See the online map for details.

• My observations on this day

In retrospect, the quickest way to get to the bog is to paddle a boat from the end of the Beaver Pond Trail across the pond to its northern shore. I'll bet those boats are used for exactly that purpose!