Wetlands Important Habitats & Ecosystems

What are “wetlands”?

What do YOU think “Wetlands” are?

Look again

What do you see & hear?

A wetland is land that is soaked with water, like a wet sponge.

Sometime you see the water…

…and sometimes you don’t.

Why are wetlands important?

Do you like to breath and…

…drink clean water?

Wetland plants make tons and tons of oxygen for animals, like us, to breath.

Wetland plants and soil filter (clean) water, as the water soaks into the ground.

Do you need clean water?

Swamp, marsh, bog, and vernal pool are the 4 main types of wetlands.

What makes each type different from the others? What makes each type different from the others? 1. Amounts of water 2. Types of soil 3. The plants and animals

Here are some examples:

Swamp Land flooded all or most of the year with lots of trees or shrubs. Trees and shrubs are called “woody plants”. There are many different kinds of swamps, ranging from the forested red maple swamps of the Northeast, to the extensive bottomland hardwood forests found along the sluggish rivers of the Southeast.

Swamp

What was the SAME in all of the swamps? Go back and look again, if you need.

Marsh Land flooded for all or most of the year. No trees growing in the marsh, only soft- stemmed plants. Typical marshes include species of sedges, rushes, grasses, smartweed, and cattails.

Marsh

What was the SAME in all of the marshes? Go back and look again, if you need.

Salt Marsh Marshes near the oceans and bays have salt water. Different plants and animals live in these. Coastal wetland plant species include: smooth cordgrass; black needlerush; glasswort; salt grass; sea lavender; salt marsh bullrush; saw grass; cattail; salt meadow cordgrass; and big cordgrass

Bog A bog has spongy peat moss and very little open water. Precipitation is the only way water goes into the bog, and evaporation is the only way water leaves the bog.

Bog

Bog

Bog

Did the bogs look wet? Try walking on one. It’s like walking on a wet sponge.

Vernal Pools SpringWinterSummer The plants and animals that live in vernal (spring) pools depend on water for only part of the year. No fish live in this type of wetland. Vernal pools have water in fall through spring. They dry out in summer.

Vernal Pools

Which type of wetland has the most open water?

Swamp Land flooded all or most of the year with lots of trees or shrubs. Trees and shrubs are called “woody plants”. There are many different kinds of swamps, ranging from the forested red maple swamps of the Northeast, to the extensive bottomland hardwood forests found along the sluggish rivers of the Southeast.

Which type of wetland has the least open water?

Bog A bog has spongy peat moss and very little open water. Precipitation is the only way water goes into the bog, and evaporation is the only way water leaves the bog.

Which type of wetland has only soft-stemmed plants?

Marsh Land flooded for all or most of the year. No trees growing in the marsh, only soft- stemmed plants. Typical marshes include species of sedges, rushes, grasses, smartweed, and cattails.

Which type of wetland dries up in summer?

Vernal Pools SpringWinterSummer The plants and animals that live in vernal (spring) pools depend on water for only part of the year. No fish live in this type of wetland. Vernal pools have water in fall through spring. They dry out in summer.

Wetlands are habitats for many plants and animals. They are adapted to the wet environment.

Swamp Great Blue Heron Swamp Rose

Swamp Alligator Swamp Sparrow

Marsh Marsh Wren

Marsh Beaver Dam Beaver

Marsh Red-winged Blackbird, female Red-winged Blackbird, male

Bog Bog Laurel Bog Bilberry

Bog Bog Turtle Sphagnum Moss

Bog Carnivorous plants! Sundew Venus Fly Trap Pitcher Plant These plants eat insects since they can’t get enough nutrients from the soil.

Vernal Pools Spotted Salamander Fairy Shrimp

Vernal Pools Wood Frog & egg mass Spring Peeper

Let’s review…

Why are wetlands important?

Oxygen, Clean Water, & Habitat Wetlands do have more benefits. Perhaps you can read about them or figure some out for yourself.

What are the four main types of wetlands?

Marsh Vernal Pool Swamp Bog Did you get them correct?

Name a plant that lives in a wetland? Can you name an animal, too?

Wetlands can be fun! Dress for mud. Be quiet, listen, and watch. Explore!

Created by the Endless Mountains Nature Center with funding from Procter & Gamble.