By
Patricia R. Drackett, Director and Assistant Extension Professor of Landscape Architecture
The Crosby Arboretum, Mississippi State University Extension Service

Over the past few weeks, we have been experiencing a flurry of activity with several exciting construction projects underway at the Arboretum. There will soon be two new destinations to explore.
Recent visitors may have noticed the excavation equipment in our south Savanna Exhibit. Soil has been removed from an area across the path from the south Pitcher Plant Bog, and a Quaking Bog Educational Exhibit is being developed. This will be the first constructed quaking bog wetland education exhibit in the United States.
For months, we had been waiting for the soil to dry out enough to allow equipment to access the project site. We were relieved that the month of October brought dry weather, and finally the opportunity to proceed.
It is quite strange to see an expanse of bare soil in our Savanna Exhibit, where we are so used to seeing a meadow full of grasses and blooming perennials. This new construction site is certainly a change of scenery.
To prepare for the construction, existing clusters of yellow pitcher plants and parrot pitcher plants were transplanted from the Quaking Bog project area across the adjacent pathway into the footprint where a section of old boardwalk had been disassembled and removed. Arboretum volunteers Dee Schultz, Mary Donahue, Chris Schneidau, Judy Schwartzer, and Carla Lizana and son Eddie kindly assisted grounds manager Terry Johnson with the transplanting project.
The Quaking Bog area will be filled with sphagnum peat moss, and panels for a floating bridge and boardwalk will be installed. The bridge panels were constructed by Mississippi State University students in Professor Tim Schauwecker’s Construction Cost Estimating class. The bridge will span the deepest area of the bog, allowing those who pass over the center to experience a quaking sensation.
Landscape architecture professor Bob Brzuszek is also assisting with the Quaking Bog project, which is being made possible through a Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, in partnership with Southern Company, of which Mississippi Power is a subsidiary.
Quaking bogs are wetlands composed of a thick layer of sphagnum peat. They are found throughout North America, but are uncommon along the Gulf Coast, and usually found within or adjacent to pitcher plant bogs managed by prescribed fire. The term “quaking” refers to the feeling one has when standing on a deep layer of peat supported by water. Find a video on your favorite search engine to see people walking or jumping on what may seem to be solid ground, but has the property of a giant green waterbed!
A layer of living sphagnum moss will be installed on the surface of the exhibit, and interpretive signage will be added to provide information about this ecosystem and the plants found here. The Quaking Bog Exhibit will provide a new habitat on site to introduce rare wetland plants.
Another project currently under construction is the cypress deck at the south end of the Swamp Forest trail. Volunteer Tom Heim is assisting Terry Johnson to build the handsome deck, which is designed to include the angled seating seen on our bridges.
South of the deck, the footprint for a pathway has been cleared. This path will connect the Swamp Forest Trail to the Slough rail.
The deck is nestled in the woods near an area where we have planted Atlantic white cedar, a tree species which occurs in forested wetlands. It is one of the two species of Chamaecyparis native to North America.
A Native Trees and Shrubs field walk will take place on Saturday, November 12 at 10 a.m., led by Pearl River County Extension Agent Dr. Eddie Smith and Arboretum Director Pat Drackett. The cost is $5 for non-members.
Create beautiful botanical leaf ornaments in a Cast Stone workshop with Director Pat Drackett on Saturday, November 12 at 1:00 p.m. Members, $6; non-members $7. To sign up for programs, call 601-799-2311.
The 14th Annual Piney Woods Heritage Festival will be held on November 18 and 19. Friday is a school field day and Saturday is for the general public.
See our website at www.crosbyarboretum.msstate.edu for more details. The Arboretum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and located in Picayune, off I-59 Exit 4, at 370 Ridge Road.

By
Patricia R. Drackett, Director and Assistant Extension Professor of Landscape Architecture
The Crosby Arboretum, Mississippi State University Extension Service