Marsh Madness!

As my wildflower journal grows with the passing months, I have realized the value of grouping some of the plants in terms of where they are living. A few of the wildflower books available do this as well although I do find them harder to use for identification.

This post will group several more plants tied to local damp areas. Not knowing much about "wetlands" per se, I turned my attention to reading up on the subject. In a two paragraph nutshell, here's what I learned...

There a several definitions of a wetland, but the basic idea is it is an area that is saturated and/or covered with water most of the time and as such supports a unique ecosystem of aquatic plants and animals. It's also a transitional area between terrestrial land and aquatic land, near a river, lake, or sea. Wetlands typically have very rich soil, due to the flow of water dropping nutrients and organic matter. A marsh is a type of wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species. Jackson Bottom is a seasonal wetland with several marsh ecosystems. This seems to be why it has the "mother-lode" of wildflowers and plants as compared to other ecosystems.


I also learned that the State of Oregon has a fairly favorable view of wetland preservation and restoration. Recent state laws passed in 2010 have made it easier for private and public landowners to work with local agencies to understand requirements.
Well I won't get "bogged" down (get it?) with a science lesson here, so let's jump right to the main attractions:

Cat-Tail (Typha latifolia)

If you had to pick one universal wetland plant for a quiz show answer, it would probably be Cat-Tail. Its appearance is so unique, even young school children can readily name it. It blooms from late June through August and can form large colonies. These provide shelter and nesting for marsh wrens and those vocal red-winged blackbirds. Geese and muskrats eat the underground rhizomes as did early Native Americans. There are 11 species of Typha, most growing in the Northern Hemisphere. These are growing at Jackson Bottom.

Yellow Water-Flag (Iris pseudacorus)

This native of Europe was introduced for ornamental purposes. Prior to flowering, it can be confused with cat-tails because the leaves are nearly identical. When it forms a colony, it can choke out native species. The State of Oregon considers it a noxious plant (http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/PLANT/weeds/Pages/profile_yflagiris.aspx).

We found these growing around a pond at Dawson Creek Park, blooming in early May.

Navarretia intertexta or N. squarrosa - a.k.a. Skunkweed

These grow in areas that are flooded in winter and spring, but dry out in summer. It blooms from July to September and has tiny blue flowers sticking out of a spiked ball like head, the size of a small marble. The N. squarrosa has a strong odor that many find pungent.

Nodding Beggarticks (Bidens cernua)

Another oddly named wetland plant! The name makes some sense because the achenes are tick-like in that they easily stick to passing animals. And the name Bidens means "two teeth," referring to the pair of hooked bristles on the achenes. The nodding part on the name comes from the way the flower will bend down from its weight. This native annual forb blooms from July to mid-September. These are at Jackson Bottom.

Waterpepper (Polygonum hydropoperoides)

These native plants were thriving near any type of pond or former pond at Jackson Bottom. Waterpepper is the most common species of the Polygonum (smartweed/knotweed) but very similar to Water Smartweed, posted earlier.

Note the dried up pond in distance!

Yellow Pond Lily (Nuphar lutea) and White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata)

Of course we need to include the water lilies. In this neck of the woods, there are just a few plants that actually grow and float in the water. The Yellow Pond Lily is native, but is not common in Oregon. Yellow pond-lily provides food and shelter for many fish and underwater insects.

The White Water Lily is non-native and we found a huge colony growing at Rood Bridge Park in Hillsboro. They are blooming now 8-18-2013). The genus Nymphaea has about 70 species of water lilies, with 35 able to grow in the Northern Hemisphere. The flowers and floating leaves are captivating and are depicted in artwork throughout world history. For much more info see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae.

White Water Lily at Rood Bridge Park, August 2013

Yellow Water Lily at Trillium Lake, August 2005