Bishop’s Bog

The oldest mystery at Bishop’s Bog may not be hidden beneath its dark water…it may be dancing above it.

Formed in the wake of the last Ice Age, Bishop’s Bog is a 152-acre relict bog and the largest remaining wetland of its kind in southern Michigan. The preserve offers a glimpse of the conditions that existed immediately after the glaciers retreated, with acidic soil supporting rare orchids, carnivorous plants, tamaracks and other species specially adapted to the ancient landscape.

The bog takes its name from the Bishop family, early settlers of the Portage area. But long before their name became attached to the preserve, wetlands like this one were inspiring stories of strange lights that appeared without warning over the water.

Occasionally, flickering lights are said to hover above Bishop’s Bog. Known as will-o’-the-wisps, fairy lights or ignis fatuus—Latin for “foolish fire”—these luminous orbs have appeared in wetland folklore around the world. They are often described as pale, lantern-like lights that dance just out of reach, seeming to reveal a path before fading or disappearing when someone attempts to follow.

The lights were not always believed to be harmless. Legends warned that will-o’-the-wisps deliberately lured travelers away from safe ground and deeper into bogs, where a single wrong step could leave them lost or trapped. Other traditions described the lights as spirits, fairies or guides that could either conceal the correct path or lead a fortunate traveler home.

Are the lights above Bishop’s Bog simply an unusual reaction rising from its ancient waters, or is something waiting to see who will follow?