Welcome to the Wetland

Field Observations:

Wetlands are a truly wonderful place to observe. There is beauty in every tiny detail as the pieces all come to fit together in a magical puzzle. Today I began my observations of the Kessling Wetland at the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College.

It was a beautiful 77 degrees F and sunny with a few thin upper level clouds sparsely scattered throughout the sky.  A slight breeze was blowing out of the West, just enough to keep me cool while sitting along the waters edge.  I found a cozy spot on the eastern shore of the pond near the canoe launch site where there was an opening in the cattails and thick vegetation to sit and enjoy the view.  

Once I was settled in, the wetland came to life.  Dozens of dragonflies danced about just over the water near the edge.  They would tumble together and chase each other around, up and down the shoreline, weaving between the cattails.  When one would tire, it would perch on the tip of a cattail to rest before another dragonfly chased it away again.

As I gazed across the pond, I saw several families of geese swimming gracefully through the waters.  They swam single file, following the adult along the western edge of the pond.  Just beyond the geese, I noticed a large bird standing proud just in front of the thick wall of cattails.  I quickly snapped a picture just before the magnificent bird rose up from its hiding spot and soared towards the south. 

After almost a half hour of enjoying the wetland, the wind shifted and picked up.  The cloud cover thickened, and the animals living in and around the wetland reacted to the change.  The dragonflies no longer danced over the water.  Many found a place of refuge in the tall plants growing along the waters edge.  Some of the birds quieted down and the geese moved closer to the shore.  Occasionally the sun would poke through. At those times the dragonflies briefly returned to their hurried flutterings just above the surface of the water.

Since there was not as much movement of wildlife when the wind was blowing underneath a blanket of clouds, I took the time to examine the tracks in the mud along the shoreline.  Small hand-prints from a raccoon were clustered just adjacent to the waters edge.  Small prints from a young white-tailed deer were scattered around with the hand-prints.  These animals probably visited the same opening along the shore last evening to drink or play in the water.

Vegetation in the Wetland:

Wetlands have four types of vegetation. Submergent vegetation are plants that are entirely underneath the surface of the water.  Floating vegetation occurs closer to shore and is typically a plant that is attached to the bottom of the pond with leaves floating on the surface. Emergent vegetation are plants that have their roots attached under the surface of the water, but their stems and leaves are above the surface. Shrubs and other shoreline vegetation make up the fourth type and are almost entirely above the surface of the water (Cox, 2002). 

While I could not see what was growing under the water's surface, I could see the green clumps of floating algae and Duckweed (Lemna spp.) along the surface of the water.  The most dominant vegetation in this wetland is the cattail (Typha latifolia).  This is an emergent vegetation plant and is found along the perimeter of the pond forming a wall of plant material.  

The Common Cattail (Typha latifolia) is found throughout most of North America in freshwater wetlands.  Cattails grow in shallow water and stabilize the shoreline soil with their root system.  Many parts of the plant are edible, including the rootstalk, young shoots, and immature flower spikes.  Often the Common Cattail will hybridize with the Narrow-leaved Cattail (T. angustifolia) making it difficult to distinguish the two. Since cattails are limited to grow in shallow water, they are only found along the edge of the pond.  Too deep of water and too dry of soil serve as limiting factors keeping the cattails in their place along the shoreline (Niering, 1998).

Cox, D.D. (2002). A Naturalist's Guide to Wetland Plants: An Ecology for Eastern North America. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press

Niering, W.A. (1998). Wetlands. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Four New Species:

 Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

In clumps along the shoreline in the places where the cattails are not present, a bright pink-purple flower grows. Swamp Milkweed stands up to 4 feet tall with clusters of small (1/4 inch) pink to purple flowers.  The leaves are long and narrow, coming to a point at the tip.

Swamp Milkweed grows well in the moist soil along the edge of the wetland along with full sun exposure.  Since cattails grow in such a dense wall, swam milkweed is found along the shore where the cattails are not present.

The flowers of Swam Milkweed produce a sweet nectar that is a favorite of many butterflies and moths.

Some species of milkweed have medicinal purposes and the genus name, Asclepias was named after Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine.

Missouri Botanical Garden. (2014). Asclepias incarnata. Retrieved from: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=g410
Niering, W.A. (1998). Wetlands. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

This purple flowering plant can be found in the moist soils near the edge of the open water. It can also be found in wet meadows, floodplains, and roadside ditches. The purple-pink flowers are 1/2 inch wide on a single stem with opposite pointed leaves.

Purple Loosestrife is an aggressive invasive that was first introduced from Europe in the 1800s as a decorative and garden plant. This plant grows in dense colonies and can push the native cattails out of the area.
The habitat generated by this plant is not suitable for food, cover, or nesting sites for many native animals.  In an effort to control the spread of Purple Loosestrife, certain varieties of beetles have been released that feed primarily on this plant.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources. (2014). Purple Loosestrife. Retrieved from: http://www.in.gov/dnr/entomolo/4529.htm
Niering, W.A. (1998). Wetlands. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 

Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)

The Widow Skimmer is found throughout most of the United States near still bodies of water, such as a pond.  It can be easily identified with its dark blue-ish body and distinctive wing pattern.

The males often compete over territory and are protective of females.  This explains why I saw them chasing each other along the shore.

The life-cycle of dragonflies links them to the water.  The eggs are laid under the water where they hatch and the larvae/nymph grows.  The nymph will shed it's exoskeleton several times in a series of molts before it crawls out of the water and molts yet again, but this time the nymph becomes an adult with the characteristic pair of double wings.

Odonata Central. (2014). Widow Skimmer. Retrieved from: http://www.odonatacentral.org/index.php/FieldGuideAction.get/id/47131
EduWebs. The Dragonfly. Retrieved from: http://www.eduwebs.org/bugs/dragonfly.htm

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

The Canada Goose can be found throughout most of North America in lakes, ponds, marshes, and fields.  They are easily identified by their brown-grey bodies with a black neck and white stripe under their chin.

Canada Geese are often seen flying in a "V" formation as they migrate from northern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.  Families and individuals of these geese can be found in the northern Indiana region year round wherever there is open water.

Peterson, R.T. (2010). Field Guide to Birds. New York, NY. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Creative Reflection:

Getting All of my Geese in a Row

As I begin my time in the Master's program at Merry Lea, I have been working diligently to "get all of my ducks in a row".  When I saw the geese swimming single file out to the open water through the mat of algae and duckweed, it resonated with my experiences thus far.  I have been struggling through finding a way to organize all of my assignments and living on my own for the first time.  It has not been easy, but I have had help from many people along the way, just as these younger geese are following in the path of the adults.