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A HISTORY OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
During the 20th Century the owners of the Sifton Bog tried to exploit
the Bogs natural resources in several different ways. They
attempted to drain the land to grow celery, removed layers of peat
for sale, and sold Black Spruce for Christmas Trees.
Some of the management practices that have taken place at Sifton
Bog are:
After the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) purchased
the property, the property was made to be more easily accessible
to the public. Some of the improvements were:
? Parking lot built in 1968
? Field house constructed in 1968
? Hanging sign erected at the edge of Oxford Street in 1968
? Trail system developed in 1968
? Boardwalk built leading from the property entrance to Redmonds
Pond in 1973
? Permanent sign erected at the entrance gate in 1974
TRAILS
From the main parking lot, a trail leads through part of the lowland
swamp to the boardwalk. The boardwalk leads over the open, floating
sphagnum mat area of the quaking bog and ends at an
observation platform at the edge of Redmonds Pond. Visitors
must stay on the boardwalk because there are many fragile plants
in the bog. Many people come here to walk among nature and to take
photographs of the wildlife that live in the wetland habitat. It
is presently being used for educational and passive recreational
purposes by natural history clubs, service clubs, local residents
and students of all ages.
HABITAT
The Sifton Bog Natural Area is rich in diversity of habitat. There
are four different types of ecosystems. There is a wooded slope
habitat, a low woodland habitat, a floating bog habitat, and a pond
(aquatic) habitat. Deciduous upland forest can be found on the slopes
and swampy lowland forest species can be found surrounding the floating
bog vegetation. In the center of the bog there is Redmonds
pond. The central bog communities are relatively undisturbed and
are the most significant feature of the area. Sifton Bog is a Class
2 Provincially Significant Wetland.
WETLANDS AT THE SIFTON BOG
The Sifton Botanical Bog is a floating mat of sphagnum moss that
is alive at the surface and decaying below. The mat is underlain
by up to 33 feet of saturated peat. This community tends to incorporate
marsh and bog vegetation. Many shrubs can reach up to 20 feet high
with the occasional tree species as you move toward the forested
area. Some of the ground cover vegetation found at Sifton Bog:
Sphagnum Moss Bog Rosemary
Highbush Blueberry Smalls Spike-rush
Black Huckleberry Short-stalked Bedstraw
Pussywillow Sensitive Fern
Leatherleaf Marsh Fern
Mud Sedge Dyers Bedstraw
Tawny Cotton-grass Glossy Buckthorn
Brown-fruited Rush Three-fruited Sedge
Many of the species found at Sifton Bog are considered nationally,
provincially, or regionally rare. This means that these species
numbers are declining due to habitat loss, human influence or environmental
concerns. The following plants are considered rare and are mostly
found within the wetland and aquatic habitats.
Atlantic Sedge Horned Bladderwort
Dodges Hawthorn Dyers Bedstraw
Yellow Pond-lily/Spatterdock Brown-fruited Rush
American Ginseng Swamp fly Honeysuckle
Smiths Club-rush Three-leaved False
Solomons Seal Snake Mouth
Dragons Mouth Bog Laurel
Water-shield Bog Rosemary
Grass-pink White Beak-rush
Brownish Sedge Northern Dewberry
Hairy-fruited Sedge Purple-flowering Raspberry
Mud Sedge Pitcher Plant
Stunted Sedge Smooth White Violet
Three-fruited Sedge Sundew
Leatherleaf Spikerush
Olive-fruited Spike-rush Black Spruce
Tawny Cotton-grass Cranberry
Short-stalked Bedstraw Northern St. Johns Wort
There are five species of carnivorous plants found at Sifton Bog.
There are the Pitcher-plant, two Sundews, and two Bladderworts.
Carnivorous plants eat insects to obtain nutrition because the bog
peat does not contain many nutrients.
The following insects are found in this natural area because of
the acidic bog vegetation:
Pitcher-plant Moth
Bog Copper Butterfly
Bog Elfin
Bog Crickets
Mosquitoes
GENERAL INFORMATION ON WETLANDS
A wetland is an area that has standing water at or near the surface
for most of the year. Wetlands may be located along shorelines and
riverbanks or can often be found in isolated depressions or hollows.
Wetlands are very important within nature for the following reasons:
A. Wetlands provide habitat (food, water, shelter and space) for
mammals, reptiles, amphibians and many bird species.
B. Wetlands act like a giant sponge, holding water that reduces
flooding.
C. Wetlands release water slowly, supplying water to other communities.
D. Wetlands help to control erosion.
E. Wetlands act like water filters.
There are four types of wetlands found in Ontario; marshes, swamps,
bogs and fens.
MARSHES
These are found along the edges of rivers, streams, ponds and lakes.
They support many plants that are rooted in the soil and grow out
of the water called emergent plants. Cattails and Arrowheads are
two examples of emergent plants. Marshes receive their water from
the body of water next to them, groundwater, rain or snow. As a
result of this the water levels can vary from a few centimetres
up to two metres.
SWAMPS
Swamps can be either isolated or found along rivers, streams and
lakes. They are formed as a result of flooding during the spring
snowmelt. They are covered with water for most of the year, although
they do not flood as deep as marshes and can dry up during periods
of drought.
Some of the trees that can be seen in a swamp include:
Eastern White Cedar, Balsam Poplar, Red Maple, Silver Maple, Black
Ash, Tamarack and Spruce.
A variety of shrubs are located here: Alder, Willow, Button Bush,
Winterberry and Dogwood. The ground is carpeted with mosses, ferns
and wildflowers including Marsh Marigold, Skunk Cabbage and Orchids.
BOGS
Bogs are commonly found in the northern parts of the province. They
are located in deep, bowl-like depressions and are filled with layers
of peat (slowly decaying plant material). The water becomes covered
with floating and decaying vegetation. The dominant vegetation here
is sphagnum moss. Some tree species found here are Black Spruce,
Tamarack and White Cedar. Plants include Leatherleaf, Labrador Tea,
Bog Rosemary, Blueberries, Cranberries, Three-leaved-Solomons
Seal, Sundew and Pitcher Plants.
FENS
These are areas that are usually located in low-lying areas of Northern
Ontario. Within Fens water slowly flows in and out of the peat layers.
However, fens may dry up in the warmer months. They are one of the
most interesting wildflower and insect habitats and are a great
place to find Orchids and other rare plants.
Fens are dominated by grasses, rushes, and sedges. Other plant life
consists of: Horsetails, Brown Moss, Tamarack, Black Spruce and
Birch. Wildlife in a Fen can include shrews, mice, voles, lemmings,
coyote, muskrat, raccoon, beaver and weasels.
The following is a general species list of life you might find in
a marsh, swamp, bog or fen.
LIFE IN A WETLAND
BIRDS ? Tundra Swan
? Canada Goose
? Mallard Duck
? American Black Duck
? Wood Duck
? Hooded Merganser
? Gadwell
? Northern Shoveler
? Red-winged Blackbird
? Sandhill Crane? ? Greater &Lesser Scaup
? Common Goldeneye
? Bufflehead
? Green-winged Teal
? Pied-bill Grebe
? Horned Grebe
? American Bittern
? Northern Harrier
? Least Bittern
? Snow Goose
? Pine Grosbeak ? Green Heron
? Great Blue Heron
? Great Egret
? Solitary Sandpiper
? Common Moorhen
? American Coot
? Greater &Lesser Yellow Legs
? Wilson Phalarope
? Evening Grosbeak ? Pectoral Sandpiper
? Dowitchers
? Common Snipe
? Belted Kingfisher
? Killdeer
? Virginia Rail
? Yellow Rail
? Sora Rail
? Marsh Wren
? Sedge Wren
? Marsh Hawk
? Spotted Sandpiper
? White-winged Crossbills
? Pine Siskins
MAMMALS ? Beaver
? Mink
? Red Fox
? Weasel
? Coyote
? Raccoon ? Various Mole Species
? Various Vole Species
? Various Shrew Species ? Skunk
? Grey Squirrel
? Opossum
? White-tailed Deer
? Muskrat ?
?
?
?
? ?
AMPHIBIANS AND
REPTILES ? American Toad
? Green Frog
? Spring Peeper
? Wood Frog
? Bull Frog
? Pickerel Frog
? Leopard Frog
?
?
? ? Mudpuppy
? Red Spotted Newt
? Blue Spotted Salamander
? Red-backed Salamander
? Four-Toed Salamander
? ? Snapping Turtle
? Map Turtle
? Painted Turtle
? Blandings Turtle
? Spotted Turtle
? Five-lined Skink
? Brown Snake
?
? Eastern Garter Snake
? Eastern Milk Snake
? Ribbon Snake
? Eastern Hognose Snake
? Smooth Green Snake
? Black Rat Snake
INSECTS ? Dragonflies
? Damselflies
? Mayfly Nymph
? ? ? Mosquito
? Various Species of Flies
? ? Various Species of Bees and Wasps
? ? ?
?
?
? ?
PLANTS ? Cattail
? Bulrush
? Various Sedge Species
? Various Grass Species
? Pond Weed
? Swamp Milkweed
? Jewelweed
? Rose Pogonia
? Grass-pink ? Waterfoil
? Pickerel Weed
? Arrowhead
? Blue Flag
? Smartweed
? Marsh Marigold
? Dense Blazingstar
? Skunk Cabbage ? Choke Cherry
? Crab Apple
? Hawthorns
? Autumn Olive
? Red-Osier Dogwood
? Sundew
? Pitcher Plant
? Leatherleaf
? Bog Laurel
? Tawny Cotton-grass ? White Birch
? White Elm
? White Ash
? White Cedar
? Trembling Aspen
? Red Maple
? Silver Maple
? Ironwood
? Poplar
? Black Spruce
? Tamarack
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VISITING
A NATURAL AREA
DRESS
APPROPRIATELY
You want to enjoy your nature experience
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- long
sleeves
- long
pants
- a
hat
- shoes
and socks
- sun
screen and bug spray
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RESPECT
THE AREA
Many species make this area their home
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- don�t
litter
- take
only pictures
- don�t
disturb anything
- don�t
pick flowers
- if
you observe something place it back where you found it
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STAY
ON TRAILS
�You could trample wildlife and plants
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- �don�t
damage vegetation
- don�t
disturb dead wood, it is decaying
- stay
away from leaflets three, it is poison ivy
- minimize
human impact on the area
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ENJOY
YOUR VISIT!
Your natural area is important to you
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- the
quieter you are, the more you will see
- leave
everything in its natural setting
- come
back and visit again
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