You Can Walk On An Ancient Pond At This New Hampshire Bog
As the last ice age ended, retreating glaciers transformed the terrain of New Hampshire in drastic ways. They were responsible for the creation of Franconia Notch, for example, and many of the natural features within it. Glaciers also left behind an assortment of lakes and ponds that we can still see today. In the town of New London, Philbrick-Cricenti Bog is a well-preserved example of one of these former ponds.
Philbrick-Cricenti Bog in New London is a classic example of a kettle hole bog. These were formed by large chunks of ice that were stranded when glaciers retreated.
As the ice chunks melted, they formed ponds with no means for the water to escape. Over the millennia, peat moss crept from the edges of the pond to the centers, obscuring the ponds under a mat of floating peat.
As both the surface of the bog and the plants that grow here are fragile, visitors must keep to the network of walkways that wind through the bog. In some places, a misstep would result in sinking quite a way!
The bog provides an environment for diverse plant life to flourish. Stunted black spruce, cranberry shrubs, sheep laurel, bog laurel, and many other varieties of flora can be found here.
The carnivorous Pitcher Plant is also a resident. The plants use nectar to attract and drown their prey in a cavity formed by a cupped leaf. Digestive enzymes then dissolve the prey for nutrition.
Access to the bog, along with easy parking, are found along Newport Rd. in New London. More information, a trail map, and a guide to the bog are available on the New London Conservation Commission website. Dogs are not permitted.
