Fourth in a series by board member John Bacone
Note: A version of this series appeared in the Indiana Parks Alliance newsletter and the Indiana Native Plant Society Journal.
Indiana has been blessed with numerous types of wetlands, and excellent examples of many of them are included within nature preserves.
Forested swamps occur in northern Indiana, where dominant species include tamarack, yellow birch, and red maple. Swamp Angel in Noble County (TNC), Tamarack Bog Nature Preserve at Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area, and Potawatomi Nature Preserve in Pokagon State Park protect large wetland complexes including swamp forests.
In extreme southwest Indiana, cypress swamps once covered tens of thousands of acres. Today, one can hike on a boardwalk through Twin Swamps Nature Preserve and see a very high-quality cypress swamp.
Many wetland complexes, containing marshes, shrub swamps, and sometimes swamp forests have been protected around large and small lakes. Some of these include:
- Lake Manitou in Fulton County
- Olin Lake in LaGrange County
- Big and Little Chapman Lakes in Kosciusko County
- Koontz and Round Lakes in Starke County.
Spicer Lake in St. Joseph County contains a classic kettle lake ringed by floating marsh, marsh, and red maple swamp forest. The St. Joseph County Parks Department has installed a boardwalk to provide access.
Fens and bogs are also found in Indiana. These types of wetlands are fairly rare. Fortunately, several bogs have been protected and can be accessed by visitors. These include Lydick Bog in St. Joseph County (Heinze) and Elkhart Bog in Elkhart County (DNP).
Excellent high-quality fens can be observed in Mongoquinong Nature Preserve at Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area. Other protected fens include:
- Prophetstown Fen at Prophetstown SP in Tippecanoe County
- Springfield Fen in LaPorte County (DNP)
- Fawn River Fen in LaGrange County (TNC)
Muck and sand flats, a very rare wetland type, have been protected at Boot Lake Nature Preserve and Pipewort Pond Nature Preserve, both in Elkhart County.
Note: The Indiana Land Protection Alliance’s Wetlands Challenge is currently challenging nature-lovers to visit wetlands and advocate for expanded protections.
Next up: We continue our virtual tour of Indiana’s best nature preserves to visit.
John Bacone
Secretary