Though we use the terms interchangably, each of the four freshwater wetlands has its own unique characteristics.
Hi. This is Scott Fitzpatrick from New Hampshire Audubon, bringing you Something Wild.
People often describe various freshwater wetlands as marshes, swamps, bogs and fens, believing that these words are pretty interchangeable. Actually, each of these wetland types has a very specific and complicated scientific definition. But let's try to clear up the confusion with some general guidelines.
Marshes are shallow wetlands with slowly flowing water. They're dominated by non-woody plants, like cattails, which grow in the mud underwater and stick out above the water's surface.
In swamps, most of the plants are large trees that have adapted to living in water. In very basic terms, swamps are flooded forests. Our beautiful red or swamp maples thrive in these wetlands.
Both of these wetlands provide valuable habitat for a tremendous amount of wildlife. Watch for hundreds of species of insects, as well as frogs, turtles, herons, mink and muskrats.
Bogs and fens both support plants such as cottongrass and carnivorous sundews, so it can be hard to see the difference between them. So how to tell bogs and fens apart? It really comes down to the water itself.
A true bog contains standing water- there are no inlets or outflows. Dead plant material accumulates and decays, causing the water to be acidic. Because the water is stagnant and acidic, imagine a giant pickle jar. Bogs are very poor in nutrients. In contrast, fens are fed by alkaline groundwater, often a calcium-rich spring. It may look like the water is standing, but it flows very slowly through the peat. This makes them higher in nutrients than bogs.
Still confused? Don't feel bad. Eshqua Bog in Hartland, Vermont, and famous for its showy ladyslipper orchids is actually a fen.
For Something Wild, I'm Scott Fitzpatrick.
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, New Hampshire Public Radio and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
