Day 147: May 26th – Pond plants

Warm, unsettled with a few thunderstorms

       The avian activity was pretty low today.  It could be the impending storms, it could be that the warbler migration is ebbing, or it could simply be that the birds were not at the same locations as Sharon and me.  And so, I decided to pick out a couple of plants that we see around the edges of ponds at this time or year and make those the nature shots of the day.

Arrow arum

       The first is Arrow arum.  Thick stands of this lush plant are often found along the shore of freshwater ponds.  The foliage and thick stems along with the root masses help to stabilize the underwater sediment and protect the shoreline from erosive action of wind driven waves and wakes from powerboats.  While not being a prime food source for many birds, the Wood duck does feed on the fruit of the plant as do muskrats and rails.  The heavy leaves of the Arrow arum serve as cover for smaller wading birds, aquatic mammals and insects.

       Duckweed is another very common freshwater plant which can be found throughout the world with the exception of the coldest climates.  It is a free-floating plant which quickly grows in large colonies.  Like so many other plants, the duckweed can be beneficial in that it feeds many kinds of waterfowl.  On the down side, if uncontrolled, it can literally cover the surface of a lake, blocking the sunlight from reaching the bottom of the lake and thus killing off other vegetation.  Being green plants, they take up oxygen in the process of photosynthesis and can lead to oxygen depletion and resultant fish kills. 

Duckweed on Beaver Dam Lake, Salisbury Mills

       The Wild blackberry, while being considered a pest or a weed, is an important food source for many mammals and birds.  The seeds therefore can be carried and dispersed over large areas and the plant can spread voraciously.  Once established, the plant spreads by rhizomes resulting in a single plant covering large tracts of land.

      While the fruits are very tasty and the plant blossoms are very attractive, these plants can choke out other native vegetation.  In addition to this, the plants attract rats that use the plants for food and shelter.  So, basically, you can’t always tell a book by its cover!