Class from the Field: Freshwater Marshes

Showing the inner petals of a spatterdock flower.

As a teacher, it is always very exciting when new possibilities for learning open up, especially within the extreme limitations of virtual classes. I recently came by a new phone, which has enabled me to lead Zoom classes from…anywhere! This has led to a new weekly series I like to call “Class from the Field.”

For our first outdoor class, I hopped into my kayak to explore a local marsh habitat off of Somes Pond on Mount Desert Island. It is a beautiful, peaceful place, protected by the Somes Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary. I drifted around the marsh, finding different wetland species and spending focused time with each one. All together, we used a local field guide to make identifications. We noticed which plants preferred higher, drier elevation, and which ones thrived in the water. We noticed which plants were being visited by pollinators. We appreciated the poetry of the latin name for the water lily family: Nymphaeaceae.

Most of all, we noted the incredible biodiversity of this ecosystem...the closer we looked, the more complexity appeared. We talked about how important it is to become acquainted with members of the ecological communities around you - kind of like getting to know your neighbors.

In this community spirit, a week later, we reviewed all the plant species we met in the marsh and tried to remember as much as possible about them. This review helped us produce an abbreviated student field guide.