Imagine a floating clump of mud and plant material that looks like a fully-fledged island. It’s not an island, but a bog that can drift around. It’s quite a sight to behold!
Denny Reyes, owner of The Landing in Chippewa, eagerly looks for the bog every morning. He told Arizona News, “Where’s the bog?”
This particular bog is one of the largest and poses a problem when it wanders close to a bridge. In 2022, it took a fleet of 25 boats to push it back out into the lake.
Some people in Minnesota have suggested blowing up these floating islands to get rid of them. However, the big bog in Chippewa Flowage has been around for decades and is home to a variety of animal and plant species. Local wildlife authorities prefer finding a solution that won’t harm the wildlife.
Floating islands, also known as tussocks, floatons, or suds, can occur naturally or be artificially made. In the past, humans have created floating islands for protection, like the floating villages of Lake Titicaca created by the Indigenous Uros people.
Chippewa Flowage was created in 1923 by flooding swamp land, and some areas turned out to be peat bogs that floated to the surface. Grasses and trees migrated to these floating bogs with the help of wind and birds, creating a lush green landscape.
Throughout its history, the biggest floating bog islands have broken apart and disappeared, only to be replaced by new ones.
“Although the Flowage was created 80 years ago, new bogs can be created anytime,” states the Chippewa Flowage website. “A phenomenon known as Mud Bogs can appear at any time, although they show up most frequently in the fall. They will either rise to the surface temporarily and then slowly sink down to the bottom again, or they may stay permanently on the surface and eventually develop plants and trees.”
So, who’s ready to bet on when the next magnificent bog will make its grand appearance?
