Beech Springs Natural Area consists of 35 acres and was established to protect the perched bog, sometimes called a hanging bog. A perched bog is a natural pond located on an upland site. This particular bog is surrounded by a stand of large red, black, and white oak.
To claim this earth cache please complete the following and email your results to me.
1. Determine the length and breadth of the bog.
- 1a. Make a new waypoint on the south side of the bog, near the middle as close to the water's edge as you can get without getting wet.
- 1b. Make a new waypoint on the east side of the bog, near the middle as close to the water's edge as you can get without getting wet.
- 1c. Standing near the middle of the shore on the north side of the bog, as close as possible to the water, without getting wet, check your distance to the waypoint from step a.
- 1d. Standing near the middle of the shore on the west side of the bog, as close as possible to the water, without getting wet, check your distance to the waypoint from step b.
2. Would the water table that feeds this bog and the acidic seeps throughout this area be from the primary water table in this region or a water table separated from the main water table by an impermeable layer between them?
3. If the water that feeds this bog is from a perched water table, what conclusion can you draw about the makeup of the base layer of the ridge the bog is on?
Perched bogs are named because they occur in depressions and valleys in upland areas where a perched water table is present.
A perched water table is groundwater that is separated from the main groundwater table below it by an impermeable layer.
This particular perched bog is fed by a perched water table on Crowley's Ridge. Crowley's ridge is a Glacial Loess formation over a bedrock subsurface.
The bedrock base was formed by the actions of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers which ran on either side of the ridge for hundreds of thousands of years.
Loess is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment, which is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Crowley's Ridge is perfectly located as a naturally occurring Loess accumulation point.
The bedrock base of the ridge provides a barrier which prevents water filtering through the loess from reaching the main water table, forming the secondary, perched water table.
This perched water table creates many acidic seeps here in the Holly Ridge Conservation Area. These seeps provide the necessary habitat for several species of both plant and animal live that would otherwise not be found here. At least three springs are also fed by this perched water table, all of which are on private property.
Since this water is supplied by a shallow perched water table, perched bogs have lower pH values, lower specific conductivity, lower minerals, lower nutrients, and lower biodiversity than non-perched bogs. nonetheless, the acidic seeps and this perched bog provide a unique opportunity to several rare plants and animals that would not otherwise exist here.
Please take care not to do anything that might contaminate the water here. This is a rare natural area, and presents a unique biome for this area. Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but tracks. Kill nothing but time.
This cache involves a good amount of off trail hiking. You will encounter thorns at any time of the year. You will also encounter poison ivy, be aware that the vines contain urushiol even in the fall and winter when leaves are not present.
You will encounter ticks, spiders and other critters of that nature in the warmer months, please be sure to use whatever counter measures you are comfortable with. You may, though it is unlikely, encounter snakes. If you are planing on getting a few of the caches up in this area, be sure to bring some water, especially in the warmer months. The trail is steep and you will exert yourself a little.
Please, don't be afraid. If you come prepared, it it perfectly safe and you can really enjoy yourself. It is a beautiful area and if you get the chance it is worth visiting in each season to see how it changes from one to the next.
