Quincy Bog Wander

The Quincy Bog walk is a wonderful respite on a hot and humid day, winding through wetland and woodland and everything in between. 

First glimpse of the bog through the trees.

A large broadleaf plantain plant thriving near the path. This plant, harvested closer to home, features heavily in Half Wild products to sooth your skin, like Green Wonder Salve and Herbal Itch Relief.

This unexpected beauty adds a lot of character to the summer greens.

A perfectly inviting understory.

One last lady slipper orchid in bloom. I almost walked right by this one; they blend in to the forest floor so perfectly.

The blueberries are coming! Wild blueberries are one of my favorites things to harvest — and so much tastier than cultivated berries.

Thanks to the excellent signage at this nature preserve, I learned a new fern today: Royal Fern. It really stands apart from the other native ferns.

I’ve been taught that rock tripe is edible, though I have never tried to cook it. It’s always a delight to find a large colony of this lichen. One of these days I will have to try it.

New growth on a small hemlock.

Understory of witch hazel trees. I use twigs from trees similar to these to make Half Wild Traditional Witch Hazel and Rosewater Toner. We couldn’t ask for a more beautiful and useful tree!

Close up of witch hazel branch. Notice how the base of the leaf is asymmetrical?

This is not a witch hazel — likely a hobblebush viburnum. Many of the understory trees look similar in the White Mountains.

Here’s another understory tree growing nearby: moose maple.

This is a lichen that can be confused with usnea. However, it looks less like “hair” and lacks a stretchy white core.

Usnea lichen, or Old Man’s Beard, which has a long history of use for wounds and bacterial infections. We are fortunate to live where the air is clean enough to support usnea growth.