Today we took field trips to Jonesport Heath and Harrington Heath, two sphagnum bogs that feature a couple of uncommon butterfly species: Crowberry Blue (host plant Black Crowberry
Empitrum nigram) and Bog Copper (host plant Small Cranberry
Vaccinium oxycoccos, not to be confused with Oxycodone).
Plebejus idas empetri
Lycaena epixanthe
I love bogs and the stunted, specialized plants that such an extreme habitat produces: insectivorous plants like sundew and pitcher plants, miniature spruce and tamarack, cotton grass, cranberries, crowberries, and cloudberries, and delicate, unexpected orchids like this Grass Pink:
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