Types of wetlands

Great egrets can be found in freshwater marshes.

How many different kinds of wetlands are there?

A lot! Wetlands come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and each one is different. However, depending on who you talk to, there are about eight types of wetlands in Minnesota not counting lakes and streams:

[Technical definitions of wetlands]

Bogs, or peatlands, are wetlands whose soils are made up of peat (the partially decomposed remains of plants and animals). Northcentral Minnesota has extensive peatlands. Some good places to see these wetlands are at Lake Bemidji and Hayes Lake State Parks.

Shallow and Deep marshes are the most familiar to us. These open areas provide food and resting areas for migratory birds and wildlife. In southern and western Minnesota these types of wetlands may be called prairie potholes. You can see this wetland type at many state parks including Lake Shetek, Sakatah Lake and William O'Brien.

Prairie potholes are shallow depressions formed by retreating glaciers. They provide excellent habitat and breeding grounds for migratory birds. Sibley, Crow Wing, and Maplewood State Parks provide good examples of these wetlands.

Shrub and Wooded swamps are shrubby or forested wetlands found along the edges of lakes, rivers, and streams. Common wooded swamps are the black ash and black spruce forests found in Scenic, Wild River and Lac Qui Parle State Parks.

Seasonal Basins or flats are small, isolated wetlands that contain water only seasonally. Once the water recedes they can be cropped in agricultural areas or logged in floodplain forests. These wetlands are important places for amphibians to reproduce and provide habitat for rare plant species. Seasonal basins or flats are found throughout Minnesota including Fort Snelling State Park.

Wet meadows are low-lying grassy areas with saturated soils often found near streams, lakes and marshes. They include low prairies, sedge meadows and rare calcareous fens.