Swamp In Maine

A Visit to the Swamp in Maine

We decided to explore the swamp because so many people were visiting Greenville Eco Family to find out why Swamps are Like Kidneys. Swamps are forested wetlands that border rivers, lakes and ponds that may completely dry in the summer or remain wet throughout the year. The swamp, as we discovered is very buggy and the plants that have special adaptations that enable them to survive in this diverse biosphere.

At the edge of the swamp, as we took our last steps out off from solid ground, the not so brave Mike Martin, pulled a tick off his skin while showing off the Maine bug population feeding on his leg. Looking closer, we found ticks everywhere. For proof of this display of bravery, please see related video!

In all, between Mike and I, we pulled over 30 ticks off our clothes – most of them the white rimmed Dog Tick, but one of those blacklegged Dear Ticks, the ones that cause Lyme disease, began attaching its head to Mike’s leg as he danced with the video camera trying to shake himself free. Again see video for evidence.

Tick

On the walk home, I asked him why there were so many ticks in the swamp. “To feed that frog that I couldn’t catch, of course,” He replied. We had spent several, unsuccessful hours, trying to catch some wildlife to show on video.

Growing up in Greenville, there were no ticks in the forest around the swamp. Now, because the spread of invasive species such as honeysuckle, barberry and burning bush, ticks continue to propagate and spread north.

Maine Snapping Turtle

As for the benefits of the ticks and exotic plants of the swamp, my research indicates that most people felt they are an unwanted nuisance, but I know that diversity is good for the creatures of the swamp. Ticks enhance the biosphere and provide food that keeps the frog population up so they eat more of those Black Flies and Mosquitoes that I so despise.

The bugs of the swamp provide fuel in support of over forty animals, plants, and natural communities. Animals that depend upon the swamp include including the turtle, deer, turkey, otter, beaver, muskrats, wood duck, and pheasants and over ninety species of birds depend upon those pesky insects of the swamp including the Great Blue Heron, Red Tailed Hawk, Marsh Wren, Osprey, Wood Duck, Thrushes, Vireos, Warblers, and Scarlet Tanager.

Maine Beaver

Mike and I enjoyed our day at the swamp and we will continue to investigate the health of the world’s water supply and report our findings. There is need for qualified teachers, aquatic experts, and environmental scientist. Interactive educational exercises like exploring a swamp motivate students to learn and are a wonderful way to learn about the importance of diversity in a biosphere.  Our Visit to the swamps of Maine really made me understand more about nature.