Wetland Landscaping Ideas – Westchester, Putnam and Fairfield Counties Do you have wetlands on or adjacent to your North Eastern US property? It’s critical to human survival that we preserve our vanishing wetland areas. A walk through the wetlands areas in the New York Botanical Garden gives creative ideas on how to preserve and protect your wetland area, and re-introduce some of the original plant species native to wetlands in the North East. Following the video and transcript: TOP 5 REASONS TO PROTECT NORTH EASTERN WETLANDS Wetland Landscaping – Educational Walk Through New York Botanical Gardens Wetlands Wetland Landscaping Ideas – Paraphrased Transcript from Video “We’re at the wetlands in the children’s adventure garden of the New York Botanical Gardens. Wetlands are critical for our survival as a species. Here is the primordial ooz from which we came, which is critical to nourishing and sustaining us. Embrace and come to appreciate our precious natural resources.” “John and Meg are responsive for this amazing native garden. Algae removal is a constant issue for aesthetical purposes. The water source for this wetlands area is the Bronx River. We can’t introduce fish into this area because they might make their way back into the Bronx River System. Our goal is to preserve the eco-system. It’s an ornamental garden, not habitat reconstruction as is the adjacent 40-acre natural virgin stand of NY forest. 50/50 mix of native species and cultivated varieties of native species. Come, enjoy, and get ideas for using these native plant species in your own landscape.” “Black die was added to the water in the Mid Plant Garden to inhibit UV light which creates algae bloom. Some algae growth still occurs and Meg is removing that algae from the pond with a net. They also pump water from the lower level which serves to aerate the water, increasing the dissolved oxygen level.” Wetland Landscaping Ideas – Top 5 Reasons to Protect Wetlands Wetlands include wooded swamps, vernal pools, peatlands and marshes. These areas perform 5 valuable functions which are eliminated when we fill in and build over our precious wetlands. 1. FLOOD PREVENTION Flooding occurs when excess water is not absorbed into the soil. Wetlands slow down and absorb excess water. If this water has no place to go, it may end up in your foundation or basement! 2. WILDLIFE HABITAT PRESERVATION Wetlands such as marshes, swamps and bogs feed and shelter rare plants and wildlife. These may include deer, waterfowl, songbirds, insects, fish, turtles, salamanders, frog and more. There is a fragile living beauty to this ecosystem. 3. GROUNDWATER RECHARGE Wetlands are like reservoirs. They hold excess water during the rainy seasons and release it over time into rivers and streams and the ground water system during dry seasons. Without wetlands, the ground water aquifers which supply our well water could go dry. 4. WATERSHED PROTECTION All the wetlands in a watershed area are interconnected. Water moves over the ground from one wetland area to another, spilling into the areas lakes, rivers and streams. This means that if one body of water is polluted or depleted, other bodies of water in the watershed area will be affected. As the people of New Orleans discovered, wetlands also provide a buffer from the wave action of the sea. When the wetland buffer between the sea and New Orleans was compromised through development, it could not protect New Orleans from hurricane Katrina. 5. POLLUTANT FILTRATION Wetland soils, due to their porous nature, filter pollution such as heavy metals and other contaminants. Wetland Landscaping Ideas – Conclusion If you have a wetland area on your property, you have been given a rare opportunity to help preserve and protect a unique environmental zone. Due to it’s interconnection with other wetland area near you, how you proceed could have far reaching effects on the plant, animal and human life in your neighborhood. We here at Green Jay Landscape Design look forward to actively preserving, promoting and engaging the wetland areas on your property. Jay Archer, President 914-560-6570 jay@greenjaylandscapedesign.com
