JAM POND -- LEGACY OF THE GLACIERS

JAM POND, GERMAN -- LEGACY OF THE GLACIERS

Donald A. Windsor

The most precious botanical resource in Chenango County is Jam Pond in the Town of German. This bog is a remnant of the glacier that melted here about 16,650 years ago (1). Jam Pond was formed by an iceberg mixed in with churned up glacial rubble, a so-called “kettlehole bog”. When the glacier retreated, the iceberg melted and left a deep pond. The water was nutrient poor, so bog plants moved in and remained. (2)

I visit Jam Pond every Fourth of July, or thereabouts, to check on it. Most of the plants are blooming at this date. I usually take several colleagues along. This year (2016) five of us went. In the group photo taken by Connie Tedesco are, from the left, Anne Altshuler, Loma Wilkins, Maryann Weiss, and Don Windsor.

Connie appears in the photo taken by Maryann.

We found these notable plants.

Blooming	Not blooming
Calopogon	Cotton Grass (buds forming)
Rose Pogonia	White-fringed Orchid (buds forming)
Small Cranberry	Snowberry
Large Cranberry	Bog Rosemary
Bullhead Lily	Huckleberry (berries)
Lotus Lily	Three-way Sedge
Pitcher Plant (most blooms ever!)	Round-leaved Sundew
	Highbush Blueberry with Witch's Broom
	Cinnamon Fern (No fertile fronds yet)
Looked for but not seen
Southern Twayblade
Dwarf Mistletoe

References cited:

1. Cadwell, Donald H. [Retreat of the glacier 16,650 years ago] In: Late Wisconsinan Deglaciation Chronology of the Chenango River Valley and Vicinity, New York. Dissertation. State University of New York, Binghamton. 1972. Page

2. Windsor, Donald A. Kettlehole bogs. In: Souvenirs of Yesteryear. Exploring Chenango County, New York. Norwich, NY: Self published. 2010 May 14. Volume 3. Pages 35-36.

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