UVM Natural Areas
 
   Natural Areas


Natural Areas Home
Centennial Woods
Colchester Bog
Concord Woods
East Woods
H. Lawrence Achilles
Natural  Area at
Shelburne  Pond
Molly Bog
Mount Mansfield
Pease Mountain
Redstone Quarry

Related Links 


 

Colchester Bog

Map and Directions to Colchester Bog

Colchester Bog resides on a peninsula between two rapidly developing shoreline areas of Lake Champlain and is located just a few miles north of the city of  Burlington.  This 175 acre peatland serves as a haven for a great diversity of flora and faunal species which makes it a prime location for research and the simple enjoyment of nature. 

A common flora at Colchester Bog
With the help of The Nature Conservancy, the University of Vermont acquired 180 acres in 1973 and has since managed them as the Colchester Bog Natural Area.The Colchester Bog Natural Area consists of an open peatland, shrub and tree dominated swamps, open water areas called laggs, a sand dune, and several adjacent uplands.  The Bog itself consists of a forest dominated by a dense thicket of shrubs and trees and an open mat of sphagnum moss and sedges.  Some of the tree types at Colchester Bog include maple, ash, and elm, as well as white cedar, pitch pine, black spruce, and tamarack.  Some of the common shurbs include mountain holly, rhodora, sheep laurel, and labrador tea. colchesterbogentrance In an effort to allow visitor to see this special natural area while minimizing the impacts of trampling on the bog, community members and an array of students constructed a boardwalk and observation deck made of wooden planks which are kept in place by plastic floats. Upon your arrival to the Colchester Bog Natural Area please take a moment to sign in.  As you exit the Natural Area you are encourages to please leave any comments which you think will help to improve the Natural Area, or you may e-mail your comments or ideas to Rick Paradis, the Director of the University of Vermont Natural Areas at rparadis@zoo.uvm.edu

 


University of Vermont Natural Areas Center
153 South Prospect St., Burlington, Vermont 05405
Phone (802) 656-4055    Fax (802) 656-8015    E-Mail: rparadis@uvm.edu
© 2003 The University of Vermont