Wet and Wild In the County

O U R   N A T U R A L   H E R I T A G E

 WET AND WILD IN THE COUNTY

Thursday, August 06, 2009 

 We used to think of them as wastelands in Prince Edward County – convenient dumping grounds for garbage, unwanted fill, and construction waste. Some of us still do, and this is sad, because they are among our most productive and useful habitats. Collectively, they are known as wetlands but to the unacquainted, are places that are muddy, and emit unpleasant smells. All too often, they are unflatteringly referred to as “swamps.”

However, swamps are not marshes, and marshes technically are not swamps. Swamps are wetlands predominated by shrubs or trees. These important wooded wetlands contain standing to gently flowing water and contain tree species like red and silver maple, interspersed with shrub thickets of alder, willow and dogwood.  The roots of trees in a swamp are massive, developing superficially and do not penetrate far. By doing so, they manage the problem of anchorage in a habitat dominated by soft muck and water.

Our best example, of course, is the Big Swamp. Forming part of the Consecon Creek watershed it begins almost imperceptibly near Highway 49 at the Long Reach and blankets the mid section of Prince Edward County for more than 30 kilometres, as it makes its way west to Consecon Lake. Almost a dozen smaller tributaries flow into the main system, most of them flowing in from the north. Estimates place the Big Swamp’s total size at anywhere from 500 to 1,500 hectares. Comprising mainly silver maples, the Big Swamp produces incredible amounts of biomass, and has become a Mecca for botanists who dare challenge the mucky, uneven terrain, finding orchids, sedges, arrowheads, cardinal flower, and ferns, all peculiar to wetland environments. As well, treed swamps have long contributed to the logging industry in the County.

No less spectacular than the Big Swamp are the thousands of hectares of cattail marshes, the largest of these being the Sawguin Creek complex and Big Island Marsh. Virtually every lake and bay in the County has its own cattail marsh, providing homes and feeding areas for at least 100 of the County’s 348 species of birds, and 20% of its mammals.
Often we hear mention of bogs, and to a lesser extent, fens. However, neither occurs in Prince Edward County as they are wetland types more common in northern areas. Bogs are common in Algonquin Park and could be compared to a large basin, containing little if any drainage with sphagnum moss forming the vegetative mat.  Nutrient poor, they contain little wildlife, and any plants are unique due to the acidic conditions. Fens are similar, but do have some water exchange, and as a result, tend to have a wider array of plants. The nearest fen to Prince Edward County is the West Plain Fen part of which forms the Menzel Nature Reserve, about 20 km north of Deseronto. More nutrient t rich, this fen contains an amazing array of grass pink orchids, cotton grass, scrub tamarack, dwarf birch and rose pogonia. 

 For us though in Prince Edward County, our wetlands are primarily cattail marshes and treed swamps. Collectively, they have worked away quietly for hundreds of years, and without fanfare, filtering harmful nutrients from water, and acting like sponges as they soak up excess rain and snow melt, thereby reducing soil erosion and flooding. Historically, our wetlands have contributed to the growth and economy of this county. Beaver and muskrat that dwell in marshlands were important to the fur trade, and the millions of game birds and fish reared in and around our wetlands continue to support a growing recreation and tourist industry. Wetlands are also the breeding grounds for a variety of water insects and the larvae of dragonflies, mosquitoes and mayflies, which in turn are important food items in the diets of fish, and countless other forms of animal life.

 Best of all, wetlands are fascinating outdoor classrooms, providing learning opportunities for all age groups. They offer complementary stage performances, with frogs and toads and birds and mammals all returning for encores. What a wonderful contribution our wetlands have made to the natural heritage of Prince Edward County.

This is the twelfth  in a series of columns by Terry Sprague on the natural heritage of Prince Edward County, sponsored by the Prince Edward Stewardship Council. For more information, check out their website at http://www.ontariostewardship.org .