Floating Wetlands EMPACTS Austin, Eric, Clint, Steven Plant Biology, Spring 2014 Kurtis Cecil, Instructor
What is a Floating Wetland? A floating wetland is a man-made ecosystem, that mimics naturally occurring wetlands Another name for a Floating Wetland is called a Floating Island Have native plants growing on them
Importance of a Floating Wetland Improve Water Quality Due to pollution such as Point source pollution or Non-point source pollution lakes, streams, ponds are being flooded with nutrients Nitrogen, Phosphorus Food for Algae Algae Dies Too much nutrient can result in poor water quality The purpose of a floating wetland is to help improve the water quality Food for bacteria which they use up the oxygen in the water for respiration. With depleting oxygen, it cause a hazard to fish and other wild life.
Importance of a Floating Provide habit for wild life. The floating wetland provides a great place for birds to nest. It provides cover for fishes It provides a great resting spot for reptiles like turtles to sunbathe Wetland
Materials PVC cement burlap deer fence x2 3 and x2 6 of 3 PVC pipe 4 3 PVC pipe elbows Sandy Loam (60% sand, 40% loam) Floating wetland plants Tape measurer Snips Pool noodles outdoor UV protected zip ties Nylon parachord
Plants Lizard Tail Fox Sedge Southern Blue Flag Soft Rush Water Parsnip Short Beak Arrowhead Broad Leaf Arrowhead
Lizard Tail Scientific Name: Saururus cernuus Plant Characteristics Duration: Perennial (can live up to more than 2 years) Habit: Herb Root Type: Tap Leaf: Green Flower: Whitish Flower Size Class: 1-3 ft Woolly stem, 4-20in. high Have large waxy dull-green basal leaves that lie flat on the ground. The plant exudes a unique fragrance on warm days. Growing Conditions Water Use: High Light Requirement: Sun Soil Moisture: Wet CaCO3 Tolerance: High Soil Description: Wet or moist alkaline soils.
Scientific Name: Carex vulpinoidea Fox Sedge bristly fruiting heads like a fox s tail. Good colonizer of disturbed, open, moist ground Plant Characteristics Duration: Perennial Habit: Grass/Grass-like Root Type: Fibrous Leaf Arrangement: Alternate Leaf Complexity: Simple Leaf Shape: Linear Leaf Venation: Parallel Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual, Monoecious Leaf: Top-side spotted red-brown or pale brown Fruit: Red-brown Size Class: 1-3 ft. Growing Conditions Water Use: Medium Light Requirement: Sun Soil Moisture: Moist, Wet CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium Soil Description: Clay, Loam
Plant Characteristics Duration: Perennial Habit: Herb Leaf: Green Fruit: Green, Brown Size Class: 3-6 ft. Growing Conditions Water Use: High Light Requirement: Sun Soil Moisture: Wet CaCO3 Tolerance: Low Soil Description: Moist, rich soils. Conditions Comments: Southern blue flag is an ideal plant for edges of ponds, lily pools or drainage ditches. Benefit Conspicuous Flowers: yes Attracts: Birds Deer Resistant: High Southern Blue Flag Scientific Name: Iris virginica The Southern Blueflag is a member of the iris family. It grows from rhizomes, bulbs, or corms, with narrow basal leaves and showy clusters at the tips of long stalks It is a monocot 1. Flower: Calyx has 3 petal-like sepals, corolla has 3 petals 2. Leaves: simple, alternated, folded and overlapping one another at the base and aligned tin two rows
Soft Rush Plant Characteristics Duration: Perennial Habit: Grass/Grass-like Size Notes: 6 to 1 Leaf: Dark Green Fruit: Brown Growing Conditions Scientific Name: Juncus effusus The soft rush, a grass-like stems of this strictly wetland plant are in clumps Each bears clusters of very small, greenish-brown, scaly flowers, the clusters diverging from one point on the side of the stalk near the top. Water Use: Medium Light Requirement: Sun Soil Moisture: Moist, Wet CaCO3 Tolerance: Low Soil Description: Clay, Loam, Sand Benefit Attracts: Birds Deer Resistant: Moderate
Water Parsnip Scientific Name: Sium suave The roots of this plant can be boiled and eaten as a cooked vegetable, but because of the plants resemblance to the deadly Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata), they are best left alone. Fragrant, sometimes aquatic plant with flat clusters of tiny dull-white flowers and strongly ridged stems. Plant Characteristics Duration: Perennial Habit: Herb Flower: dull-white cluster flower Growing Conditions Soil Moisture: Moist, Wet Benefit Use Other: Some tribes believed that smoke from common water-parsnip seeds could drive away evil spirits trying to steal a hunters luck.
Short Beak Arrowhead Group: Monocot Family: Alismataceae Duration: Perennial Native Status: Canada and Middle Lower 48 Threatened in: Tennessee Benefit Important source of food to ducks
Broadleaf Arrowhead Common Name: broadleaf arrowhead Native Range: Eastern and central North America Height: 1.00 to 4.00 feet Bloom Time: July to September Attracts: Birds Type: Herbaceous perennial Zone: 5 to 10 Spread: 1.00 to 3.00 feet Bloom Description: White Sun: Full sun Water: Wet Maintenance: Medium Suggested Use: Water Plant, Naturalize, Rain Garden Flower: Showy Family: Alismataceae
Assembly
Procedure Connected PVC Pipes PVC Glue to weld the corners 2 layer deer fence 55in X 80in, zip tie on to PVC Pipe 2 layer burlap Overlapped 2 sheets of 47in x 88in to get one sheet of 55in x 88in, zip tied it onto the PVC pipe and deer fence
Planting the Plants There were problems with the original floating wetland. When we added the soil mixture into the floating wetland, the sand would go to the bottom, sink the wetland, and the remaining soil would float to the top and wash away. To fix our problem we did the following
Planting the Plants 1. Zip-tie pool noodles under the wetland to allow a support for the weight of the soil 2. Evenly fill wetland with soil 3. Place another layer of burlap over the floating wetland and zip-tie it to the top so that it covers the soil 4. Cut holes in burlap in accordance with the size of the base of the plant and place plants in holes. 5. Finished!
Top Image: pool noodle application Bottom Image: conquering the floating wetland
O F F I T G O E S NORTH WEST ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE S F L O A T I N G W E T L A N D
Works Cited "Carex vulpinoides." Missouri Botanical Gardens. Missouri Botanical Gardens, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. "Iris virginica var. shrevei." Missouri Botanical Gardens. Missouri Botanical Gardens, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. "Juncus effusus." Missouri Botanical Gardens. Missouri Botanical Gardens, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. "Sagittaria Brevirostra." Plant Database. Natural Resources Conservation Service, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. "Sagittaria latifolia." Missouri Botanical Gardens. Missouri Botanical Gardens, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. "Saururus cernuus." Missouri Botanical Gardens. Missouri Botanical Gardens, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. "Sium suave." Missouri Botanical Gardens. Missouri Botanical Gardens, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.