Guest Speaker: Dr. Robert Mohlenbrock, distinguished botanist and author
Co-hosted by Wild Ones, St. Croix Oak Savanna Chapter

Nationally recognized botanist and author, Dr. Robert Mohlenbrock, of Southern Illinois University, recently visited the Tamarack Nature Preserve in Woodbury and published an article in his This Land column of the September 2021 issue of Natural History magazine. Join this Zoom presentation to hear Dr. Mohlenbrock describe what he found in this wetland gem, and to discuss how we can protect such special places hidden in our midst.

The Tamarack Nature Preserve is a “bog fen,” a rare wetland combination. Bogs are rain-fed, acidic, and nutrient-poor for plant growth. In contrast, fens are fed at least in part by mineral-rich ground water and have a more basic pH. Different plant species are found in each. But the peat wetland at Tamarack Nature Preserve is a rare combination of both. Here groundwater rich in minerals seeps into the bog wetland. Bog and fen plant species occur together.

For a link to the video recording of this program, click here