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Comstock Bog (July 1, 2005)

Comstock Bog State Natural Area can be accessed from Hwy 22, with well-marked parking areas and an access road. Unfortunately getting to the bog from this side is difficult with a hike through a wooded area that found me completely surrounded by poison sumac, despite using a GPS unit. The area is more easily accessed from Edgewood Rd. following the directions on the DNR web site, but the parking area is not marked and is not easy to find.

The main bog is an open area with no standing water, but feels like you are walking on a waterbed. Stopping in one spot to enjoy the view will find you standing in up to a foot of water, but there are many areas that are dominated by pitcher plants. Below is a photo taken from the middle of the bog.

I have been to Comstock Bog on nearly twenty occasions and broke through for the first time in 2005 while looking for Linear-leaved Sundews (Drosera linearis). This plant is rare in Wisconsin and is the only place that I have seen these plants. I first saw them here in 1999, and again in 2002, before I knew that they were so uncommon. I had hoped to get some better photos of this species to document their occurrence, but was not able to locate them again until 2005. The following photos on the right are of this species and some of the insect fauna that was captured in their sticky leaves.

Besides the Linear-leaved Sundew, two other species of Sundews can also be found here. I found all three species growing in an area about the size of the living room in my house. Below are photos of the Round-leaved Sundew (D. rotundifolia), by far the most common sundew in Wisconsin, and the Spoon-leaf Sundew (D. intermedia), a species that I have seen in only two locations.

I used to go here, hoping to see a more northern species of butterfly, but I have yet to see any unusual butterflies at this location. There are several other bog species of insects and plants that are very interesting and are worth the trip to see. The Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella) is the smallest dragonfly in North America and is abundant throughout the middle of the bog in small pools of water, where during late June or early July you most likely can see this species flying within inches of the ground. Despite its small size I thought that it would be unlikely that it could be caught in a Linear-leaved Sundew. Karl Legler had referred to this in his book “Dragonflies of Wisconsin” but I was still very surprised to find a female caught in one! I was also amazed to find a Sphagnum Sprite (Nehalennia gracilis) caught on a Linear-leaved Sundew. This species has been found in a handful of site in Wisconsin, and to find it here was pretty exciting. I am hoping to see a live one next year.

One species of plant that is very prominent in May is the Common Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) that forms a white carpet over parts of the bog. Later in the year these plants are occasionally ravaged by the Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia). Below are two photos of the Buck Moth caterpillars, the difference between the instars is enormous and I first thought that they were two entirely different species. Notice that the photo of the brighter colored one has the skin of the previous instar still present. These caterpillars were in abundance in 2003 and there was hardly any leaves left on the Common Buckbean. The only orchid that I have seen in the bog so far is the Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides), a species that is fairly common throughout the center portion of the bog.