Wet Meadow State Rank: S4 - Secure

Meadows are graminoid Wet Meadows are graminoid wetland wetland communities that communities that occur in lake basins, can be considered to be wet depressions, along streams, and in subtypes of Shallow sloughs and backwaters in river basins; Emergent Marshes, typically The soil is saturated during the growing with a single sedge or grass season but not generally inundated; species dominating. Standing water is not present and may occasionally be dominant. throughout the growing Characteristic herbaceous associates season as in emergent include water smartweed, river-horsetail, marshes. Kettlehole Wet Wet Meadow in a river backwater, dominated nodding bur-marigold, spotted Joe-Pye- Meadows are a specialized by rice cut-grass. Photo: P. Swain, NHESP. weed, and northern blue flag. Calcareous type of Shallow Emergent Description: Wet Meadows occur in wet meadows have additional lime-loving Marsh in small basins that lake basins, wet depressions, along slow species, including red-footed spike-sedge, have dense graminoid moving streams, and in sloughs and other delicate sedge, and fen-sedge. Wet marshes on mucky peat. Shallow nesting, roosting, cover, and movement areas with impeded drainage along rivers. meadows are called "sedge meadows" in Emergent Marshes are graminoid corridors. The sedges, bulrushes and The mucky mineral soils are permanently many other states, but "wet meadow" is wetlands in broad, flat areas bordering grasses of Wet Meadows provide a food saturated and flood occasionally but used in Massachusetts because of known rivers or along lake margins, are resource for a variety of marsh birds. standing water is not present throughout occurrences of meadows dominated by seasonally flooded, and usually have Inconspicuous (“secretive”) water birds, the growing season as in Deep and rice cut-grass, Canada bluejoint, and other surface water all year. Coastal Plain such as rails and bitterns, nest in extensive Shallow Emergent Marshes. As Wet non-sedge species. Pondshore Communities and Coastal wet meadows and marshes that lack Meadows flood only temporarily, woody Plain Pondshore Communities – Inland human disturbance. plants could become established: many Variant are generally on sand around sites are managed using other forms of ponds in closed basins that intersect Examples with Public Access: repeated disturbance, including grazing or groundwater that set pond levels. By late Hop Brook WMA, Lee; Ashburnham SF, mowing, to prevent succession to shrub- summer an exposed shoreline supports Ashburnham. or woodland. herbaceous species that is not generally dominated by tall dense graminoids. Characteristic Species: Wet Sediments are sandy or mucky, but not Meadows are often uniform appearing peaty. Acidic Pondshores/Lakeshore communities dominated by a single Communities are broadly defined, species from the sedge family or variable shorelines around open water not sometimes a rush or a grass. Tussock- explicitly included in calcareous or forming sedges, such as tussock-sedge or A Wet Meadow that is mowed to limit tree and shrub encroachment. Photo: Tom coastal plain pondshores. The shore line is lakeside sedge, often have over 50% Lautzenheiser. often not distinct, merging into marsh or cover, with variable proportions of other other wetlands. graminoids and herbaceous species. Differentiating from Related Canada bluejoint, wool-grass, woolly- Communities: The physical and Habitat for Associated Fauna: fruited sedge, slender spike-sedge, stalked biological characteristics of wet meadow, Many animals, vertebrates and wool-grass, rice cut-grass, and brown emergent marsh, and shoreline invertebrates, common and rare, use wet Large sedge dominated Wet Meadow. Photo: beak-sedge are typical of wet meadows communities overlap and intergrade. Wet meadows and marshes for feeding, Tom Lautzenheiser.

From: Classification of Natural Communities of Massachusetts htthttpp://www;mass;gov/nhesp/://www;mass;gov/nhesp/ Updated: 2016 Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Division of FishFisheeriesries & Wildlife, 1 Rabbit Hill Rd;, Westborough, M! 01581 (508) 389-6360