Everything about Wet Meadow totally explained
A
wet meadow is a semi-
wetland meadow which is
saturated with
water throughout much of the year. Wet meadows may occur because of poor
drainage or the receipt of large amounts of water from
rain or melted
snow. They may also occur in
riparian zones.
Unlike a
marsh or
swamp, a wet meadow doesn't have
standing water present except for brief to moderate periods during the growing season. Instead, the ground in a wet meadow is typically damp and, like a well-soaked
sponge.
Wet meadows therefore don't usually support
aquatic life such as
fish. They are, however, a very environment and typically attract large numbers of
birds, small
mammals and
insects including
butterflies.
Vegetation in a wet meadow usually includes a wide variety of
herbaceous species including
sedges,
rushes,
forbs and
grasses.
Woody plants if present, account for a minority of the total area cover.
Wet meadows were once common through
American states such as
Illinois and
Michigan but their range has been dramatically reduced. In some areas, wet meadows are often partially drained and
farmed and therefore lack the
biodiversity described here.
The soils in wet meadows often consist of
silty and
clay-like materials in depressional areas. The major soils are dominantly wet phases, or undrained phases of
Peotone silty clay loam,
Rantoul silty clay,
Booker clay,
Edinburg silty clay loam,
Brooklyn silt loam, and
Denny silt loam. The
pH reaction is typically neutral.
Due to the concern with damage that excessive stormwater runoff can cause to nearby lakes and streams, many people are creating wet meadows to capture stormwater. The idea is to capture and store rainwater onsite and use it as a resource to grow attractive native plants that thrive in such conditions. The
Buhr Park Children's Wet Meadow is one such project. It is a group of wet meadow
ecosystems in
Ann Arbor, Michigan designed as an
educational opportunity for
school-age
children.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Wet Meadow'.
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