3. Welcome to the world of wetlands…... Prepare to be amazed!

4. Canadian Prairie Potholes Canada possesses more than 25% of the world’s wetlands. Scientists estimate that more than 50% of all the ducks in North America rely on the prairie potholes for survival An estimated 60% of the wetlands in the Parkland region alone have disappeared

5. MarshSwamp Bog Fen

6. Boreal Sedge Fen

7. Marsh  non-peat wetland  emergent reeds, rushes or cattails  highly productive deep open water zones provide spawning grounds for fish feeding and gathering areas for migrating waterfowl

8. Swamp  non-peat wetland  dominated by trees or tall shrub thickets  soft maples, cedar, alder, willow  provide habitat for cavity nesting birds - mergansers, wood ducks

9. Bog  northern, peat wetland  primarily from runoff and rainfall, very acidic  low productivity  sphagnum moss, black spruce, tamarack  Bogs are the oldest wetlands

10. Fen  peat wetland  formed from groundwater & runoff  slightly acidic or alkaline  slightly higher productivity then a bog  dominated by sedges  contains rare wildflowers and orchids

11. Sphagnum Moss Cells are filled with gas Holds 200 times its own weight in water Sinks with age forming peat Layer grows 3-7 cm in a century!

12. Hooded Lady’s-tresses Orchid Things you might find in a fen or a bog…. Sedges

13. Labrador TeaBog Rosemary Pitcher Plant Sundew

14. In a marsh you will find three varieties of aquatic plants: 1) Emergent 2) Submergent 3) Floating

15. Other fabulous floaters include: Common Bladderwort Common Duck Weed Free-floating, non-rooting Bladders serve as reservoirs Bladders trap tiny invertebrates Rapid reproduction Used to treat sewage and wastewater Used to feed fish and other livestock

16. Other entertaining emergents: Common Butterwort Resembles violet Found in calcium rich soil Insect-eating perennial Yellow Marsh-Marigold All parts contain poisons Poultice of leaves to treat warts Leaves can cause skin to blister

17. Another super submergent: Clasping-leaf Pondweed Perennial Flowers in dense staked spike An important food source Provides shelter for aquatic invertebrates

18. Purple Loosestrife European invasive species No nutritional value for native wildlife 190 000 hectares affected each year Biological controls are being researched

19. Northern Leopard Frog Boreal Chorus Frog Wood Frog

20. Canadian Toad I know I look tasty, but you wouldn’t want to eat me. My wart glands produce a mild venom! Canadian Toad Boreal Toad

21. Tiger Salamander I grow to be quite big (144 mm-180mm) and my appetite is large. I eat small fish, frogs, young mice and even other salamanders!

22. What can I find under the water?

23. Beautiful Backswimmer Swims upside-down Row of hair fringes collect air Piercing and sucking mouth parts Often confused with Water Boatman

24. Water Boatman Slender and black with fine yellow lines Paddles its long, skinny, oar-like legs Eats algae, dead plants and animals

25. Giant Water Bug The largest true bugs Stab and suck prey juices In some species males carry eggs on back Use breathing tubes to get air

26. Great Diving Beetle Breaths through spiracles Stores air bubbles under wings Adults tear up food and eat small pieces Strong fliers

27. Water Strider. Also known as “Pond Skater” Legs feathery tips hold air bubbles Piercing, sucking mouth parts Locates prey though water vibrations

28. Whirligig Beetle Eyes divided into two parts (can see above and below water). Antennae detect wavelets on water Traps bubble of air under abdomen for breathing Eats insects from waters surface

29. What about our feathery friends? Yeah, what about the duckshs?!

30. Green-winged Teal (male)

31. Can you see how we are different in appearance? Redhead Canvasback male

32. Ring-necked Duck (male)

33. Common Merganser’s malefemale Looking at our bills, what to you think we eat?

34. American Widgeon (male)

35. Blue-winged Teal (male)

36. Ruddy Duck (male)

37. American Coot Check out my feet, their lobed! My feet are adapted to help me to glide and push through the water.

38. Horned Grebe My yellow tufts make me look like I have horns.

39. Osprey I love to eat fish! I dive at fish from the sky, snatching them up with my large talons. In flight my wings are bent.

40. Piping Plover I am endangered. Be careful of my nests along the shores of lakes and sloughs in east central Alberta. In 1996, there were only 276 of us left!

41. It is incumbent on us to take special pains…… that all people or as many as possible, shall have contact with the earth and that the earth’s righteousness shall be abundantly taught. -Liberty Hyde Bailey

43. The End

44. Northern Bog

45. Dangling Mosquito Larvae.