Wetlands are areas that are covered with water for part of a year (or even part of a day in the case of tidal marshes). You can find them along shorelines of lakes, rivers, and in depressions in the ground, and along ocean coats. Several different types of these immensely productive areas for wildlife occur in Canada. Some species, like salamanders, turtles and snakes, live their entire lives there. Others, such as fish and waterfowl, often use them for spawning, nesting, feeding, or resting. Many mammals live in and around them too, such as beavers and otters.
This resource sheet will guide you in identifying different types of wetlands, some of which may occur in your area.
Wetland can be divided into five categories: bogs, fens, saltwater and freshwater marshes, swamps, and shallow water. Or they may be classified into four categories where bogs and fens are classified as the main types of “peatbog”, and shallow water may be described as “ponds.”
Peatbogs are poorly drained areas covered by mats of moss. Peat forms when the moss slowly decomposes in layers. There are two types, bogs and fens. In northern Canada, large areas of bogs or fens are called muskeg.
• Bogs: A bog might look like solid ground but watch out! It’s really an area covered by a layer of vegetation floating (at least 40 cm deep) on its top but a water pit exists underneath it. Those pits can be over 15.24 metres deep. Sphagnum moss is the dominant plant in it. Moose and songbirds are frequent visitors but few amphibians can live in there because of highly acidic conditions. Visit www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/wetlands/chapter2/bogs.htm for more information and pictures.
• Fens: Peat formation in bogs is more advanced than in fens. Because fens are less acidic than bogs, their vegetation is also different. Sedges are the predominant vegetation. Unlike bogs, reeds, grasses, shrubs and even the occasional tree can grow in them and provide more habitat for wildlife. Get to know fens better and see photos by visiting www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/wetlands/chapter2/fens.htm.
Swamps are associated with streams, rivers, or lakes. These waterlogged spots are often flooded with still or flowing water for most or all of the growing season. Yet, trees, tall shrubs, herbs, and mosses can live there. The types and varieties of plants, and the habitat for animals depend on climatic conditions in different regions of Canada. For example, white and black spruce are more typical in boreal swamps in northern parts but red maple, ash, and yellow birch are more common further south. The main areas in Canada where these forested wetlands are found are Vancouver Island, the southern Pacific coast, and the Great Lakes region. Click www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/wetland/chapter2/swamps.htm for pictures and more information.
Marshes are the most common types of wetland in North America. If you see an area overgrown with rushes, sedges, and coarse grasses, especially near a river or a lake, you’re likely looking at one! These spots are subject to flooding so their water level can change dramatically. Freshwater marshes are often found inland; saltwater marshes are typically located along ocean coasts. Marshes are immensely productive areas for a host of wildlife, including fish, turtles, frogs, ducks and waterfowl, which use these areas for feeding, shelter and reproduction. For more details and pictures, see www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/wetland/chapter2/marshes.htm.
Ponds and other shallow open water are small bodies of standing or gently flowing water. Ponds, pools, oxbows, and channel ponds are examples. A pond is a basin filled with stagnant water that is fed by rain or snowmelt. It loses its water through seepage into the ground, evaporation, or plant transpiration. Some are made artificially by people such as irrigation ponds to water crops, water holes to water livestock, and reservoirs through damming. Delta or channel ponds are other types of shallow water that form when water is impounded by shifting river channels and sediments or as intermittently flowing spillways from snowmelt or high precipitation. Beavers and moose are among the mammals that are found in shallow waters, including amphibians, reptiles, crustaceans, and fish. Visit www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/wetlands/chapter2/shallow.htm for more information.
Visit the wetlands section under Things You Can Do on the Hinterland’s Who’s Who website at www.hww.ca for details on how to help these important wet places.