The emergent marsh community is found along pond, river and stream edges in shallow water. Emergent marshes are characterized chiefly by non-woody plants growing in year -round standing water (woody plants are trees, shrubs, and some vines; non -woody plants are all others). Emergent marshes contain many plants that, while rooted in the water, grow upright out of the water's surface. Such plants include narrow - and broad -leaved plants which often grow up to 6 feet tall. Marsh plants are especially adapted to soil that is saturated with water. Many other plants are unable to tolerate these saturated soils and do not grow in these areas.

A great diversity of dragonflies and damselflies is found in emergent marshes because of ample opportunities for feeding, breeding, and egg -laying. Additionally, large numbers of frogs and turtles are found here. Bird life is dominated by the Red-winged Blackbird and the Common Yellowthroat which are common summer residents nesting within the cat -tails (Typha). It is here that you are most likely to find either the Sora or Virginia Rail, both nesting in small numbers. Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets are both commonly seen hunting for fish and frogs. In the spring and fall, Osprey are occasionally seen cruising overhead in search of fish. Among mammals, white-tailed deer frequently feed at the fringes of the marsh at sunrise. Muskrats are common as well, with their dens providing nesting mounds for Canada geese.

Within the Huron River Watershed in Washtenaw County, there are several ways to see emergent marshes within the Huron corridor's natural areas. In Furstenberg Nature Area, an emergent marsh community can be viewed from the observation deck nearest the eastern end of the parking lot, and the footbridge to Barton Nature Area from Huron River Drive provides a good view of Barton's emergent marsh. Other emergent marshes may be viewed by canoe along the river. If traveling by boat, go carefully; the plants here are sensitive to the disturbance that motors and paddles may create.

Listed below are some of the plants that may be found in Southeast Michigan emergent marsh communities. Non -natives are noted with an asterisk (*).

Aquatic
buttercup (Ranunculus)
common water meal (Wolffia columbiana)
coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum)
duckweed (Lemna minor)
duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza)
Eurasian water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)*
pondweed (Potamogeton)

Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes
bulrush (Scirpus acutus, Scirpus atrovirens, Scirpus validus)
fowl meadow grass (Poa palustris)
rice cut grass (Leersia oryzoides)
rush (Juncus)
sedge (Carex lacustris, Carex comosa)
spike rush (Eleocharis)

Wildflowers
arrow-arum (Peltandra virginiana)
arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)
bur-reed (Sparganium eurycarpum, Sparganium chlorocarpum)
common cat-tail (Typha latifolia)
narrow-leaved cat-tail (Typha angustifolia)*
pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata)
purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)*
water smartweed (Polygonum amphibium)
water plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica)
waterlily (Nymphaea odorata)
yellow pond lily (Nuphar variegata)

The above definition and plant list were taken with permission from Along the Huron: The Natural Communities of the Huron River Corridor in Ann Arbor, Michigan written by the Natural Area Preservation Division, Department of Parks and Recreation, City of Ann Arbor, 1999. You can order the book from the University of Michigan Press.

Additional definitions and pictures

• See a terrific definition by the EPA
• See page 22 of the terrific book Along the Huron: the Natural Communities of the Huron River Corridor in Ann Arbor, MI by the Natural Area Preservation Division of the Department of Parks and Recreation, the City of Ann Arbor
• Also see the description in the Michigan Natural Features Inventory