Little River Wetlands Project
Wildlife/Habitats
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Eagle Marsh has about 154 acres of Wet/Marshy Habitats including ponds and other areas that are wet more than half
the year. (To see where they are or will be, view map on home page). Arrowhead Marsh has 16 acres for a total of 170
acres at both preserves. These aren’t the only areas that are wet at LRWP’s preserves, but they’re the wettest the
longest! Read more about our wetlands’ other habitats—sedge meadows (wet less than half the year), prairies
(wet/dry), and forests (wet/dry)—on our website soon and in the next three issues of our newsletter. Many wildlife
species that are endangered, threatened, or of special concern in Indiana need one or more of our wetland habitats to
survive.
Special plants thrive in wet/marshy areas. In Indiana, we have lost many of our native grasses and sedges. We are
seeding Eagle Marsh with species such as Frank’s Sedge, Soft Rush, and Wool Grass. We also are planting beautiful
flowering plants such as Swamp Milkweed, New England Aster, Joe-Pye Weed, Monkey Flower, and Obedient Plant.
Wet/marshy habitats are home to a great number of reptiles, amphibians, and birds as well as mammals such as
beavers, otters, and muskrats. Because we can’t write about them all, we’ve chosen to highlight several imperiled
Indiana wildlife species likely to make a home at our preserves. Let us know if you see one of these!
• Black-crowned Night Herons, stocky black, white and grey birds that hunt fish and small crustaceans primarily at
night, have already been seen at Eagle Marsh. Indiana endangered, these herons will stir the water with their beaks to
try to attract prey. When they catch something, they can turn it around to swallow head-first and they do just fine
digesting bones. The herons nest in colonies of up to a dozen nests that consist of a platform of sticks placed in trees
or cattails. Their presence is considered an indicator of ecosystem health, and we hope a colony decides to nest at
Eagle Marsh or Arrowhead Marsh next year. For more information, visit www.birds.cornell.
edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron_dtl.html
• Sandhill Cranes, grey with a red spot on their heads, are at nearly 5’ tall one of America’s two largest birds, the
other being the highly endangered Whooping Cranes that sometimes migrate with them. Sandhill Cranes have visited
Eagle Marsh in migration. According to expert Mark Weldon, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo Animal Curator, a pair could
well nest and hundreds might someday “stage” for weeks at a time at Eagle Marsh. Sandhill Cranes mate for life and
need sedge meadows, uplands, and wet/marshy areas to breed and feed. Mated pairs engage in unison calling and
in dancing, which includes various behaviors such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, as well as
wing flapping. Wouldn’t it be great to see all this at Eagle Marsh? For more information visit www.savingcranes.
org/species/sandhill.cfm
Click here to see beautiful interactions between Sandhill Crane parents and chick.
• Indiana endangered Blanding’s Turtles, with their unmistakable yellow throats, will find Eagle Marsh a perfect set
of habitats. They require clean, shallow water with dense vegetation for much of their life cycle, but may travel more
than one-half mile over land to nest. In winter they hibernate in shallow water buried partly under soft organic
substrates. The turtles can live up to 75 years, but they require large protected wetlands such as Eagle Marsh to
survive. If none return to Eagle Marsh on their own, LRWP may seek to arrange a reintroduction of this species since
our habitats will be ideal for them. For more information, visit the Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and
Management at IPFW at http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/index.htm?http://herpcenter.ipfw.
edu/outreach/accounts/reptiles/turtles/Blandings_turtle/&2
Can you help these and other species in desperate need of our wet/marshy habitats? Please consider contributing to
our “Lifelines for Wildlife” fall stewardship fund drive.
Visit again to find information on other habitats at our preserves (sedge meadows, prairies, and forests) and the
Indiana imperiled species that depend on them to survive. Can you guess what some of these are? Send your
guesses to judprof@ameritech.net and we’ll let you know if you’re correct!
the year. (To see where they are or will be, view map on home page). Arrowhead Marsh has 16 acres for a total of 170
acres at both preserves. These aren’t the only areas that are wet at LRWP’s preserves, but they’re the wettest the
longest! Read more about our wetlands’ other habitats—sedge meadows (wet less than half the year), prairies
(wet/dry), and forests (wet/dry)—on our website soon and in the next three issues of our newsletter. Many wildlife
species that are endangered, threatened, or of special concern in Indiana need one or more of our wetland habitats to
survive.
Special plants thrive in wet/marshy areas. In Indiana, we have lost many of our native grasses and sedges. We are
seeding Eagle Marsh with species such as Frank’s Sedge, Soft Rush, and Wool Grass. We also are planting beautiful
flowering plants such as Swamp Milkweed, New England Aster, Joe-Pye Weed, Monkey Flower, and Obedient Plant.
Wet/marshy habitats are home to a great number of reptiles, amphibians, and birds as well as mammals such as
beavers, otters, and muskrats. Because we can’t write about them all, we’ve chosen to highlight several imperiled
Indiana wildlife species likely to make a home at our preserves. Let us know if you see one of these!
• Black-crowned Night Herons, stocky black, white and grey birds that hunt fish and small crustaceans primarily at
night, have already been seen at Eagle Marsh. Indiana endangered, these herons will stir the water with their beaks to
try to attract prey. When they catch something, they can turn it around to swallow head-first and they do just fine
digesting bones. The herons nest in colonies of up to a dozen nests that consist of a platform of sticks placed in trees
or cattails. Their presence is considered an indicator of ecosystem health, and we hope a colony decides to nest at
Eagle Marsh or Arrowhead Marsh next year. For more information, visit www.birds.cornell.
edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron_dtl.html
• Sandhill Cranes, grey with a red spot on their heads, are at nearly 5’ tall one of America’s two largest birds, the
other being the highly endangered Whooping Cranes that sometimes migrate with them. Sandhill Cranes have visited
Eagle Marsh in migration. According to expert Mark Weldon, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo Animal Curator, a pair could
well nest and hundreds might someday “stage” for weeks at a time at Eagle Marsh. Sandhill Cranes mate for life and
need sedge meadows, uplands, and wet/marshy areas to breed and feed. Mated pairs engage in unison calling and
in dancing, which includes various behaviors such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, as well as
wing flapping. Wouldn’t it be great to see all this at Eagle Marsh? For more information visit www.savingcranes.
org/species/sandhill.cfm
Click here to see beautiful interactions between Sandhill Crane parents and chick.
• Indiana endangered Blanding’s Turtles, with their unmistakable yellow throats, will find Eagle Marsh a perfect set
of habitats. They require clean, shallow water with dense vegetation for much of their life cycle, but may travel more
than one-half mile over land to nest. In winter they hibernate in shallow water buried partly under soft organic
substrates. The turtles can live up to 75 years, but they require large protected wetlands such as Eagle Marsh to
survive. If none return to Eagle Marsh on their own, LRWP may seek to arrange a reintroduction of this species since
our habitats will be ideal for them. For more information, visit the Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and
Management at IPFW at http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/index.htm?http://herpcenter.ipfw.
edu/outreach/accounts/reptiles/turtles/Blandings_turtle/&2
Can you help these and other species in desperate need of our wet/marshy habitats? Please consider contributing to
our “Lifelines for Wildlife” fall stewardship fund drive.
Visit again to find information on other habitats at our preserves (sedge meadows, prairies, and forests) and the
Indiana imperiled species that depend on them to survive. Can you guess what some of these are? Send your
guesses to judprof@ameritech.net and we’ll let you know if you’re correct!
| Blanding’s Turtle by B. Kingsbury, IPFW |
| Sandhill Cranes by W.L. Newton, Cornell Lab of Ornithology |
| Black-crowned Night Heron, photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org |
| Swamp roses photo by Steve S. Ross |
| What Do You Know about Wet/Marshy Habitats and the Species that Live There? |
What are sedges? They’re plants that grow in wetland communities covered by shallow water less than half the year.
And, “sedges have edges.” While the stems of grasses are round, sedge stems usually have three sides with a
sharp demarcation between them—hence, “edges.” There are hundreds of sedge species native to Indiana. The
photo at left is a hop sedge, one of many kinds we’ve planted in the 50-acre sedge meadow beginning to grow at
Eagle Marsh (see map on home page).
More than sedges thrive in sedge meadows. Bulrushes and cattails are common. There are native cattails and
invasive ones—fortunately, our experts know the difference and will try to keep the bad kind under control. Beautiful
flowering plants, such as spotted Joe Pye weed and marsh marigold, also grow there.
Tussocks are found in some sedge meadows. According to the January-March, 2007, newsletter of the Michigan
Nature Association, these small hills of plant matter are built by the tussock sedge Carex stricta as it accumulates
soil, litter, roots and live shoots over time. While tussocks aren’t fun to walk through, they encourage biodiversity
because the tops, sides, and bases differ in environmental conditions. In one study, each area of Carex stricta
tussocks formed a microhabitat such that one tussock could support up to 16 additional plant species, including
asters, goldenrod and moss. So get out your magnifying glass and watch our tussocks grow!
Many kinds of imperiled Indiana wildlife visit sedge meadows to find food or nest. But for Northern Leopard Frogs,
Bitterns, and Short-eared Owls, these often soggy areas are vital. All three species not only flourish in sedge
meadow habitats such as the one at Eagle Marsh. They also hide there, happiest if you don’t choose to walk too
near.
• American Bitterns and Least Bitterns, both state-endangered, migrate north to live in sedge meadows during
spring and summer. Slender brown birds with lighter and darker vertical stripes, they hide by raising their beaks
straight up to look like the tall vegetation around them. American Bitterns are about two feet high while the still rarer
Least Bitterns, at 11-14 inches, are the smallest herons in North America. Heard more than seen, bitterns have a
booming call that sounds like a congested pump. They eat amphibians, fish, insects and reptiles and build solitary
nests among the cattails or bulrushes. Will you be the first to see a Bittern at Eagle Marsh or Arrowhead Marsh?
Learn more at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/ambittern.pdf
• Northern Leopard Frogs are numerous in only a few areas of Indiana. Luckily for us, LRWP’s preserves are full
of this lovable species of special concern! Adult frogs, three to five inches long, are spotted black on green and
lighter green, with white bellies. They eat mostly insects, worms, and small snakes. In spring and summer, males
make a short snore-like call from the water. Females lay up to 6,500 eggs in wet areas, preferably where there are
no fish. The tadpoles metamorphose into small adults after several months in water. Listen for these frogs when you
visit Eagle Marsh or Arrowhead Marsh, or look closely and you may spot them trying to hide in wet areas or near the
edge of ponds. More information can be found at http://www.fish.state.pa.us/anglerboater/1999/jf99/leofrogg.htm
• Short-eared Owls are the only owl species in this part of the country that nests on the ground—often in sedge
meadows where, like the Bittern and Northern Leopard Frog, they can easily hide. They’re not really short-eared but
have shorter tufts of feathers, resembling ears, on their heads than most other “eared” owls. About one foot in length,
the Short-eared Owl has plumage mottled tawny to brown, a barred tail and wings and a streaked upper breast.
While the Short-eared Owl pictured here is sitting in a tree, they use such perches mainly to rest before flying out low
over marshes, sedge meadows, and prairies to find food. Also unusual for owls, they start hunting at dusk and
continue all night and through the dawn. However, their meals are typically owl-like, consisting mostly of rodents
such as mice and voles. Avid birders have seen the Short-eared Owl, an Indiana endangered species, at Eagle
Marsh. Perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to spot one also at one of our night hikes or early one morning! Read more
at http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Asio&species=flammeus
And, “sedges have edges.” While the stems of grasses are round, sedge stems usually have three sides with a
sharp demarcation between them—hence, “edges.” There are hundreds of sedge species native to Indiana. The
photo at left is a hop sedge, one of many kinds we’ve planted in the 50-acre sedge meadow beginning to grow at
Eagle Marsh (see map on home page).
More than sedges thrive in sedge meadows. Bulrushes and cattails are common. There are native cattails and
invasive ones—fortunately, our experts know the difference and will try to keep the bad kind under control. Beautiful
flowering plants, such as spotted Joe Pye weed and marsh marigold, also grow there.
Tussocks are found in some sedge meadows. According to the January-March, 2007, newsletter of the Michigan
Nature Association, these small hills of plant matter are built by the tussock sedge Carex stricta as it accumulates
soil, litter, roots and live shoots over time. While tussocks aren’t fun to walk through, they encourage biodiversity
because the tops, sides, and bases differ in environmental conditions. In one study, each area of Carex stricta
tussocks formed a microhabitat such that one tussock could support up to 16 additional plant species, including
asters, goldenrod and moss. So get out your magnifying glass and watch our tussocks grow!
Many kinds of imperiled Indiana wildlife visit sedge meadows to find food or nest. But for Northern Leopard Frogs,
Bitterns, and Short-eared Owls, these often soggy areas are vital. All three species not only flourish in sedge
meadow habitats such as the one at Eagle Marsh. They also hide there, happiest if you don’t choose to walk too
near.
• American Bitterns and Least Bitterns, both state-endangered, migrate north to live in sedge meadows during
spring and summer. Slender brown birds with lighter and darker vertical stripes, they hide by raising their beaks
straight up to look like the tall vegetation around them. American Bitterns are about two feet high while the still rarer
Least Bitterns, at 11-14 inches, are the smallest herons in North America. Heard more than seen, bitterns have a
booming call that sounds like a congested pump. They eat amphibians, fish, insects and reptiles and build solitary
nests among the cattails or bulrushes. Will you be the first to see a Bittern at Eagle Marsh or Arrowhead Marsh?
Learn more at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/ambittern.pdf
• Northern Leopard Frogs are numerous in only a few areas of Indiana. Luckily for us, LRWP’s preserves are full
of this lovable species of special concern! Adult frogs, three to five inches long, are spotted black on green and
lighter green, with white bellies. They eat mostly insects, worms, and small snakes. In spring and summer, males
make a short snore-like call from the water. Females lay up to 6,500 eggs in wet areas, preferably where there are
no fish. The tadpoles metamorphose into small adults after several months in water. Listen for these frogs when you
visit Eagle Marsh or Arrowhead Marsh, or look closely and you may spot them trying to hide in wet areas or near the
edge of ponds. More information can be found at http://www.fish.state.pa.us/anglerboater/1999/jf99/leofrogg.htm
• Short-eared Owls are the only owl species in this part of the country that nests on the ground—often in sedge
meadows where, like the Bittern and Northern Leopard Frog, they can easily hide. They’re not really short-eared but
have shorter tufts of feathers, resembling ears, on their heads than most other “eared” owls. About one foot in length,
the Short-eared Owl has plumage mottled tawny to brown, a barred tail and wings and a streaked upper breast.
While the Short-eared Owl pictured here is sitting in a tree, they use such perches mainly to rest before flying out low
over marshes, sedge meadows, and prairies to find food. Also unusual for owls, they start hunting at dusk and
continue all night and through the dawn. However, their meals are typically owl-like, consisting mostly of rodents
such as mice and voles. Avid birders have seen the Short-eared Owl, an Indiana endangered species, at Eagle
Marsh. Perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to spot one also at one of our night hikes or early one morning! Read more
at http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Asio&species=flammeus
| Northern Leopard Frog at Eagle Marsh. Photo by Jennifer Kleinrichert |
American Bittern. Courtesy of Wikipedia
| Hop Sedge. Photo by Paul Rothrock, Taylor University |
Short-eared Owl.
With the almost 30-acre Eagle Marsh Woods recently added to the south border of Eagle Marsh and the 13-acre
mature woods at Arrowhead Preserve, LRWP has a lot to offer wild creatures that depend on forests for food,
breeding sites, or winter homes. We’ve also planted well over 200 acres of new trees and shrubs at Eagle Marsh
and our Arrowhead preserves, ensuring more such habitat in the years to come. Most of the older trees and
shrubs and all the new ones are native to this part of Indiana. Native Indiana wildlife, especially imperiled wildlife,
depend on such native woodlands to survive.
We hope that state endangered Bald Eagles, which already hunt at Eagle Marsh, may choose to nest in its new
mature woods of red and silver maple, green ash, American elm, box elder, and other native trees. Bald Eagles,
the most regal of American birds as well as our national symbol, eat mainly fish but also small animals, disabled
waterfowl and carrion. They build large nests of sticks that can grow to weigh more than a ton when “remodeled”
by interweaving more and more sticks on top of old ones over a period of years. Eagles mate for life and only one
pair would be likely to nest at Eagle Marsh as eagles, like most birds, are territorial. (“These woods are only big
enough for one of us, pardner…) Read more about Bald Eagles at.http://www.eagles.org/moreabout.html
The topography of the Eagle Marsh Woods includes small sandy ridges interspersed with wetter areas—ideal
salamander habitat! Blue-spotted Salamanders, an Indiana species of special concern, have been seen there.
These shy creatures spend most of their time in burrows in the ground or hiding under fallen logs or leaves, but
in spring they rush for water to breed and lay many, many eggs. The baby salamanders later hatch and spend a
month or so in the water, looking very much like tadpoles. Eventually they metamorphose into small adults and
return to their regular home, the woods. Blue-spotted salamanders eat spiders, centipedes, slugs and
earthworms among other creepy, crawly creatures. When attacked by a predator, their tails can detach and grow
back again later. For more about these wonderful creatures, see http://www.chicagowildernessmag.
org/issues/spring2000/salamander.html
Another imperiled Indiana species that needs forests is the Eastern Pipistrelle bat, one of the smallest American
bats. Weighing less than 1/3 of an ounce and barely reaching 3 ½ inches in length, they can be mistaken for large
moths. While they hibernate in winter in mines or caves, in summer they must find tree cavities or nest boxes
such as the ones at Eagle Marsh to raise their young. These small reddish brown mammals hunt in or near their
forest homes, near streams or over open water, making both Eagle Marsh and Arrowhead Marsh good places to
call home. Eastern Pipistrelles fly in a floppy “butterfly” pattern and when hunting, can catch one insect every two
seconds. Read more about these diminutive bats at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.
edu/site/accounts/information/Pipistrellus_subflavus.html
mature woods at Arrowhead Preserve, LRWP has a lot to offer wild creatures that depend on forests for food,
breeding sites, or winter homes. We’ve also planted well over 200 acres of new trees and shrubs at Eagle Marsh
and our Arrowhead preserves, ensuring more such habitat in the years to come. Most of the older trees and
shrubs and all the new ones are native to this part of Indiana. Native Indiana wildlife, especially imperiled wildlife,
depend on such native woodlands to survive.
We hope that state endangered Bald Eagles, which already hunt at Eagle Marsh, may choose to nest in its new
mature woods of red and silver maple, green ash, American elm, box elder, and other native trees. Bald Eagles,
the most regal of American birds as well as our national symbol, eat mainly fish but also small animals, disabled
waterfowl and carrion. They build large nests of sticks that can grow to weigh more than a ton when “remodeled”
by interweaving more and more sticks on top of old ones over a period of years. Eagles mate for life and only one
pair would be likely to nest at Eagle Marsh as eagles, like most birds, are territorial. (“These woods are only big
enough for one of us, pardner…) Read more about Bald Eagles at.http://www.eagles.org/moreabout.html
The topography of the Eagle Marsh Woods includes small sandy ridges interspersed with wetter areas—ideal
salamander habitat! Blue-spotted Salamanders, an Indiana species of special concern, have been seen there.
These shy creatures spend most of their time in burrows in the ground or hiding under fallen logs or leaves, but
in spring they rush for water to breed and lay many, many eggs. The baby salamanders later hatch and spend a
month or so in the water, looking very much like tadpoles. Eventually they metamorphose into small adults and
return to their regular home, the woods. Blue-spotted salamanders eat spiders, centipedes, slugs and
earthworms among other creepy, crawly creatures. When attacked by a predator, their tails can detach and grow
back again later. For more about these wonderful creatures, see http://www.chicagowildernessmag.
org/issues/spring2000/salamander.html
Another imperiled Indiana species that needs forests is the Eastern Pipistrelle bat, one of the smallest American
bats. Weighing less than 1/3 of an ounce and barely reaching 3 ½ inches in length, they can be mistaken for large
moths. While they hibernate in winter in mines or caves, in summer they must find tree cavities or nest boxes
such as the ones at Eagle Marsh to raise their young. These small reddish brown mammals hunt in or near their
forest homes, near streams or over open water, making both Eagle Marsh and Arrowhead Marsh good places to
call home. Eastern Pipistrelles fly in a floppy “butterfly” pattern and when hunting, can catch one insect every two
seconds. Read more about these diminutive bats at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.
edu/site/accounts/information/Pipistrellus_subflavus.html
LRWP’s preserves feature four main habitats: Wet/marshy areas, sedge meadows, forests, and prairies. We’ll
focus on one of these every few months until all four are introduced. Read about wet forests, sedge meadows and
wet/marshy habitats now and check back later to learn about our preserves’ prairies. Many wildlife species
endangered or of special concern in Indiana need one or more of our wetland habitats to survive. Your contribution
to LRWP helps ensure that their vital needs are met.
focus on one of these every few months until all four are introduced. Read about wet forests, sedge meadows and
wet/marshy habitats now and check back later to learn about our preserves’ prairies. Many wildlife species
endangered or of special concern in Indiana need one or more of our wetland habitats to survive. Your contribution
to LRWP helps ensure that their vital needs are met.
| Forested Wetlands—Home for Eagles, Salamanders, and Bats! |
| Let’s Hear It for Sedge Meadows and the Creatures Hiding Inside! |
Eagle and Chick, courtesy of Iowa DNR
Blue-spotted Salamander,
courtesy of Wikipedia
courtesy of Wikipedia
Eastern Pipistrelle bat by Marty Jones