Kettlehole Bog-Pond Ecosystem

  State Rank: S4

Kettlehole bogs are flat peatlands in "kettles," circular or elliptical depressions, usually deeper than they are wide, formed in morainal, glaciofluvial, or coastal plain deposits by the melting of buried ice blocks. The centers of these bowl-shaped basins may be a floating peatland mat or open water ringed by peatland. Where the surface of the floating mat is sufficiently elevated by peat accumulation to be free from contact with the mineral-enriched pond water, vegetation typical of nutrient-poor conditions develops. In the southernmost part of the state, kettlehole vegetation may include species of more southern affinity such as Atlantic white cedar, sweet pepperbush, and arrow-arum.

Natural Communities Associated with Eccentric Bog Ecosystem