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Originally Posted by palmtreepathos  I have a question or two... How useful are wetland areas after they have been invaded by beavers? I was out cruising my local wetlands area and truly at the moment it seems more like a lake! Trees down everywhere, water deep enough for a kayak. |
In wetland classification, "open water" is a term used to describe wetlands that have shallow, inundated water. Beavers effectively dam up streams and backfill the floodplains with water. Any wetlands associated with the floodplain of that stream lose most of their botanical functionality, and the related ecological benefits that the plants can provide. For this reason, the first objective of wetland restoration projects in areas of high beaver activity is to eradicate the beaver by trapping. It seems counterintuitive, but beaver ponds function much differently than wetlands.
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Also what type of ecological system for Georgia would have plants in standing water but also deep shade?
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The best examples of "standing water, but also deep shade" in Georgia are found in the 'coastal plain' physiogeographic province of GA, which includes much of south Georgia up to the fall line. Wetlands in the coastal plain are typically dominated by trees with advantageous roots such as bald cypress and water tupelo.
For the piedmont region (which is where we both live), wetlands are mainly the expression of groundwater at low lying areas. Isolated wetlands are a bit more rare in the piedmont compared to the coastal plain (with the exception of special cases such as vernal pools found on the granite outcrops (ie Arabia Mountain)). So for the typical piedmont plants to use in your case, I would suggest: black willow (border plant, good shade), silky dogwood (border), elderberry (border), red maple (border, perhaps upper border), American lotus (emergent; you'd have to control it from spreading though), watercress (emergent). You will have to take into consideration your water depth and perimeter size to choose the best plants. If you have questions about that, just ask.
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...spikey grasses are around too, would it be ethical to go dig up a few from the areas I know are slated for demo or fill-in?
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Such plant "thievery" is often referred to as "rescuing" and is a very noble cause imo.
In fact, I have a friend in WA that makes a business of it. He knows several contractors in his area and gets calls before the area is to be mowed over by bulldozers. He goes there days before and gets all the plants and trees he can. He takes them back to his sizeable property and grows them to marketable size. He does quite well too!
So yes, dig up those "spikey grasses", which are most likely rushes or sedges and have a try and transplanting them. I have no idea how successful such an operation could be, but I do know that they are generally very hardy plants and would probably cope with the transplant ok. If you do try, please post your results here as I'm interested to know.
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Thx for any info or reasearch terms....
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I love talking about this stuff (if you couldn't tell
), so the pleasure is all mine. <bow>
Those are great photos, thanks for sharing! I'm trying to learn my birds now, and it's really difficult for me. They don't stand still.
(my eyesights pretty bad)
I first heard of sandhill cranes when you posted about the late arrival and multiple sightings at your locale. Ironically, I was out in the field, in Dekalb County, with a colleague and he mentioned how he had seen a flock of sandhill cranes at Arabia Mountain, also in Dekalb, in December and thought that it was bizarre.
'Tis strange indeed I must concede.
Re: Wetland Science 
although small it was, Looking for bugs and what not. always a muddy foot upon return. 
Has anyone heard of such a thing? 
)
