Splinter Hill Bog trip

Submitted by jaybird on Fri, 05/30/2008 - 1:16pm

On Monday, May 26, Memorial Day, I drove the long drive down I-65 to the Perdido exit (about 45 miles north of Mobile) in extreme north Baldwin County to check out the Nature Conservancy's Splinter Hill Bog site. To say that this bog is a jewel is the understatement of the century. It is jam-packed full of white-topped pitcher plants, red pitcher plants, purple pitcher plants, coppertop pitcher plants, sundews, and a plethora of orchids. As a graduate student back in Auburn, I could remember an old botany professor saying something about how the center of biodiversity in the southeastern united states could be pinpointed (in his opinion) to one spot -- and it was here in Splinter Hill, Alabama. He'd always said that Alabama had more plant and animal species than 45 other states, and that 1/12th of all the water in the lower 48 states flows through Alabama -- much of it within 15 miles of Splinter Hill. How could an area that rich not be destined for preservation?

Ironically, I never put the two together until I was standing in the middle of this bog thinking back on my old Auburn days. Even more ironically, this Auburn professor unexpectedly passed away this past December and I've been reading countless tributes online from former students about how Dr. George Folkerts changed their lives. He's one of the reasons that I am such a staunch environmentalist and will try to instill the same principles in every kid I teach. I think he'd like that. And, I think he'd like the fact that I finally made it to his beloved Splinter Hill Bog.

The Bog is undergoing a big transformation right now, with help from State forestry officials and controlled burns. The bogs had become overgrown in recent years with vines and shrubs. It was only when a random lightning storm opened up the understory of the forest to light that the landowner realized what happened next. The forest floor came alive!! So, TNC and Forever Wild (across the road) have bought land from those landowers approaching some 3,000 acres now and growing.

Once you leave the parking lot, there are two big open fields on your left and right of the trail which goes straight ahead. These fields are full of sundews, low-growing orchids, and pitcher plants. To find the larger pitcher plant bogs, you must continue straight ahead on the path into the longleaf pine savannah (very tall pines with no lower limbs) until you reach the informational kiosk at the end of the path. Eventually, the path will be extended. Just prior to reaching the kiosk, there are some pallets stacked up that are used to cross a bogg area found by following the trail just behind the pallets. Follow this trail and step across the boggy areas until you come to another wide open pine savannah area. Look slightly ahead and dowhnill to see the motherlode of all bogs. There is no direct path to this bog. You must make you way -- so be careful not to step on anything botanically important!! You return the way you just came.