Wetlands
Wetlands play a vital role in our environment. While establishing obvious habitat areas for birds, mammals and fish, wetlands also provide areas for groundwater replenishment, water purification, shoreline stabilization and stream flow maintenance. Pond Wetlands Pond wetlands will have standing water year around, usually six to ten inches deep. They create habitat for water fowl such as ducks and geese. Animals such as frogs, turtles and salamanders also find pond wetlands an ideal place to live. The primary vegetation is sedges, grasses, rushes and cattails as well as submergent plants that may float just under the water surface. Wet Meadow Wetlands Wet meadows may have a wide range of hydrologic characteristics. They may be in the form of a marsh with substantial amounts of standing water, to that of a landscape dry enough to walk on in late summer. All wet meadows are recognizable by their grass-like vegetation of sedges and rushes. Here habitat is created for many creatures. The vegetation in wet meadows is particularly well suited for filtering sediments and pollutants, making them quite important to water quality. Scrub Shrub Wetlands These wetlands are dominated by woody vegetation under 20’ tall. This can include shrubs such as red-osier dogwood and willow, as well as young trees or trees that have been stunted by poor growth conditions. They can be a very valuable habitat for birds while their tangle of vegetation can provide important browse and shelter for small to midsize mammals. Forest Wetlands Forest wetlands are dominated by woody vegetation over 20’ tall and are some of the most difficult wetlands to recognize because they often support plants that can grow in upland areas as well as wetlands. These areas provide important habitat for many woodland creatures like birds and mammals. Snags (dead standing trees) are important in this area for the woodpeckers and other birds and animals that feed on the insects living inside them. The Wetlands exhibit is supported by the Spokane Conservation District. Print this information from a PDF file on Wetlands.
|
