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Through The Woods
Explore the world around you.

Bog, Swamp, Fen, or Marsh?

7/4/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
How does one clearly define the differences between a bog, a fen, a swamp, and a marsh?
It's not as tricky as you might think. 
Consider each term as its own ecosystem, once you see just how different they are, you'll never mix them up again!:
Bogs are depressions in the Earth that fill with rain and snow, covered with sphagnum moss, the water is quite acidic so only unique plants are equip to live there - here you'll find carnivorous plants which receive their nutrients through the insects they eat instead of the water.
Fens are quite similar to bogs but sometimes have small springs or streams feeding the depression in the earth, as well as water from local runoff, be it nearby mountains, hills, farmland. As the water travels to the fen it picks up nutrients along the way which changes the water from the acidic bog water to a more nutrient rich water. While they both have peat, fens can have a wider diversity of plants growing.
Marshes are wetlands that are fed by rivers, streams, and/or springs that host a great variety of grasses, rushes, and reeds. You'll find a lot of cattails and other smaller forbs growing in these areas that make good food and nesting materials for birds, ducks, muskrats, mink, and beaver!
Swamps are quite similar to marshes - same water sources - but are defined by their ability to host woodier shrubs and water-loving trees, you'll find less of the grasses and reeds here, and many more trees. Swamps make for great nesting grounds for migratory birds.

Now that we know what they are, why are wetlands so important?
Wetlands provide everything from homes and habitats for thousands of birds, fish, amphibians, mammals, and plants, to filter ground water, and curb flooding in times of great rains. The productivity of the ecosystem of a wetland has been compared to that of the rainforest or coral reefs!
 
For more information, check out this link. 

2 Comments
Mike Franks
7/4/2017 07:26:29 pm

So Google Maps shows a stream, either feeding water to, or extracting water from, Brown's Bog Lake, west of Shreve, Ohio. So does that make the lake a Fen?

Reply
Emily (Admin)
7/5/2017 09:02:35 am

Great question Mike,
On the map you'll see Brown's Lake with a stream coming/going from it, this is an actual lake that you won't ever see in the park (unless you go off the boardwalk and that is not advisable). The bog itself is a kettle-lake depression shown as a very small blue dot just North-West of the larger Lake. If you turn on the satellite view and zoom-in to the bog, you can see the small kettle-lake (depression in the ground formed by a chunk of glacier that broke off and settled in the ground, this is filled only through precipitation) at the end of the boardwalk, this is the bog and what you'll see when you go to the park.
Thank you for a great question! I hope you'll make it out there and see the great treasure that is Brown's Lake Bog.

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    Since 2015 we have been exploring and sharing all the amazing things we’ve found in nature.
    From great and unique places to explore, to learning about new and interesting plant species, to understanding the earth’s cycles.
    Follow us and discover new and interesting things about the world around you. 

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    Emily is an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist who is most often found out in the woods. 

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  • Home
  • Blog
  • Adventure
  • Plant Profiles
  • One Year Studies
    • Barnes Preserve >
      • Barnes Short Loop
      • Barnes Long Loop
      • BP Pond Overlook
    • Walton Woods Wildflower Sanctuary >
      • Walton Woods Lower Trail
      • Walton Woods Burning Bush
    • Brown's Lake Bog >
      • Bog Boardwalk
      • Bog Loop
    • Wooster Memorial Park >
      • Sycamore Tree
      • Trillium Hill
      • WMP Prairie
  • Contact
  • Shop