Flynn,Texas, or 'Bugs Scuffle' unofficially, sits on farm roads
977 and 39, on impermeable sands
and over the Carrizo aquifer waters. Bogs are plentiful
in the area, and pitcher plants
are found at several sites in the County.
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The Flynn bogs are northeast of town on private land, at the
end of several miles of twisting,
forking, sugar-sand roads, deep at places, shaded by post oaks
and interrupted by creeks and wetlands.
Once through the gates of the property, one finds
themselves on top of a gentle hill and
and the beginning of a large pasture sloping down toward the
bogs.
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Where the footings of low wooded hills, and hills-turned-to-pasture
meet, a very wet bog hugs the northern shore
of two connected ponds made about 25 years ago, and fed by the
underground springs.
Clumps of Sarracenias grow at the edge of the water, along with
hundreds of bladderworts,
out of reach of the well-fed cattle grazing the lush grass.
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The western pond is the smaller of the two and drains into the
eastern, much larger pond, under a compact-dirt dam which separates the two.
Post and Sandjack oaks surround the small pond and climb up the gentle sandhills.
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The water flows through an alder thicket to the western end of the
large pond. Evidence of beaver-works is abundant in the dense thicket.
A variety of mints, bog-hemp, chainferns, sphagnum, and lizard-tails grow out of the mucky floor.
The white round tops of pipewort salt the green sea in front of my eyes.
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Working my way through the curtains of thorny catbriar vines (and paying the price), I come out on the western end of the big pond.
The first pitcher plants I see grow in clumps on anchored, floating mats of vegetation along the northern shore (left).
It is a hot, humid day, and the air is thick with the familiar, lovely smell of decomposing plant material.
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Rose pogonia and ladies' tresses orchids grow here, close to a sea of yellow bladderwort
flowers sticking out of the shallow waters near the pond's edges.
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Uprooted and trampled Sarracenias tell of feral pigs coming to drink at night.
Culling down the herd to only a couple of breeding
pairs of the 400-600 Lb beasts would benefit the pitcher plants,
and still leave a few pigs to control venomous snakes. Bog destruction
by pigs is not uncommon; I have witnessed it at several Texas sites.
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Until 3 or 4 years ago, the overgrowth around the ponds was controlled with annual burns.
My hostess, the owner, recognizes the value of prescribed burnings and has agreed
to allow CPT to continue them, starting this summer.
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