On our long drive from New Hampshire to New Brunswick, we stopped in Portland, Maine so the kids could play for a bit at Deering Oaks park.
It's the first public park I've ever seen with a wading pool for kids to cool off. The bridge separates the lake from the pool! Such a neat design.
We parked overnight at the Walmart in Bangor. We were set to arrive a bit before dark, so I found a fantastic trail for us to explore nearby. Orono Bog is a special kind of wetland called a peatland. "Peat consists of the undecomposed remains of plants, including mosses, leaves, seeds, branches and even the trunks of trees. During the early stages of decay, oxygen is used up faster than it can travel through the water saturated soil. Further decay is greatly slowed by the absence of oxygen. If plant remains are added to the soil faster than they can decay, peat accumulates." (copied from trailhead sign)
In some sections of the bog, the peat layer is up to 25ft deep! 
Right here the peat layer gets deeper where even fewer plants can grow. You can see a definite change in type of vegetation and size of the trees.
Tawny Cotton Grass- lots can be seen in the 2nd photo below.
Checking the water level with this floating gauge, currently 8ft deep!
The insect-eating Pitcher Plant can be found all along the bog trail. Rainwater that collects in the plant is tempting for bugs, but once they fly in, they get stuck inside and the plant "eats" them.
They were excited to find some wild blueberries along the trail.
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