Wetlands Provide Habitat for Rare Plants and Animals

Last year, two sandhill cranes were sitting on a nest on property restored by the Wetlands Initiative (Wetlands-Initiative.org). Two years ago, the first nesting pair of sandhill cranes was found at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, which the Wetlands Initiative (TWI) has been helping restore for many years.

“The cranes are voting with their wings,” says Paul Botts, executive director and president of TWI.

Sandhill cranes are among myriad plant and animal species that require wetlands, often within a mosaic of other ecosystems, to live and reproduce. Protection and restoration of the state's wetlands are imperative for this wildlife to survive.

“The sandhill crane is an iconic species of the wetlands,” says Katie Kucera, ecologist at TWI. “They were under threat and nearly hunted to extinction,” she says. “The fact that they’re coming back is partly because so many wetlands are starting to be restored. We’ve seen sandhill cranes almost everywhere the Wetlands Initiative works.”

The cranes require a mix of wetlands and open areas such as grasslands and scattered woods for their nesting cycle. “They need enough habitat to forage and to hide their young from predators,” Kucera says. “If you are lucky enough to see a pair of sandhill cranes exhibiting mating behavior, or see a colt, that’s a really special wetland experience.”

Other bird species also rely on wetland habitats for breeding. The Virginia rail and sora rail are particularly secretive, often heard more than seen. At dawn in spring and early summer, the sora’s whinny-like call can be heard from the center of a marsh.

Some species, such as the pied-billed grebe and the state-endangered common gallinule and yellow-headed blackbird, require a specific type of wetland in which to breed, called a hemi-marsh.

“It’s a 50/50 balance of open water and emergent wetland vegetation,” Kucera explains. “It’s not 50 percent wetlands on one side and 50 percent vegetation on the other. Rather, there’s an even dispersal of channels of water going the through the cattails,” she says. It’s the perfect habitat for these birds to hide their nests and snatch food such as aquatic insects to feed their young.

In May and June, grebes may be seen sitting on floating nests in a wetland. Later in the summer, they might be spotted carrying their young on their backs. Once threatened in the state, pied-billed grebe populations have risen and can often be found breeding in high-quality wetlands or heard giving their haunting, long, repetitive calls.

“Hemi-marshes are sensitive to lower water levels, when too much vegetation can creep in, as well as high water levels, which can flood out the vegetation and the breeding bird nests,” Kucera says, adding that’s why monitors continue to check and work on restored areas.

Wetlands where grebes and other birds breed contain cattails, rushes and sedges, as well as some aquatic plants that bloom in spring and summer. A common one is the blue flag iris, which blooms in May and June. The native species produces showy purple flowers amid long, grassy leaves and requires moist to wet soils and full to partial sunlight. A visitor to a wetland at the end of May will often find a stand of wild irises opening their blooms.   

 One of the rarest plants that grows in wetlands is the federally and state-endangered eastern prairie white-fringed orchid. 

“This species has yet to reach a viable enough population to be down-listed to threatened,” Kucera says. “It grows in wet meadows and wet prairies where a certain kind of fungus acts as a germination host. Across the Midwest, where it’s historically known to grow, we find that fungus in the wetland soils,” Kucera continues. “The orchids rely on this fungus and the soils to provide them with energy.” 

Small populations grow at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and TWI hopes to reintroduce it to the Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge in Putnam County.

Not only do birds and plants rely on and help shape wetlands, but so do mammal species, including the beaver and the muskrat.

“Beavers create hemi-marshes,” Kucera says. “They create wet prairies. They create fertile ground for fish populations to lay eggs.” Kucera notes that in urban areas, beavers can become a nuisance, but in a large wetland complex, they contribute to the health of the ecosystem.

Muskrats provide habitat for other wildlife.

“The open waterways muskrats produce are used by many species to move about, both above and below the waterline,” writes Kevin Wright, author of Muskrats: Wetland Architect, published in the November 2024 issue of the Outdoor IllinoisJournal. “Old muskrat huts are also used by many waterfowl species as nesting platforms.”

Kucera agrees, adding, “Leo Gaskins, a researcher studying muskrat dens in wetlands around the Chicago area, is finding that muskrat dens are a hub of activity for all kinds of wildlife, including turtles, marsh birds and even coyotes.”

The presence of amphibians like salamanders and frogs often signals a high-quality, non-polluted area.

“Salamanders need quality wetlands with good water quality,” Kucera says. “They’re incredibly sensitive to pollution, to salt concentrations and other concentrations of pollutants found in water,” she explains. “The adults return back to the pond or body of water they hatched from each year, so having continuity is important.”

Rare turtles rely on wetlands and adjacent upland areas for their life cycles.

“The state-endangered Blanding’s turtle needs upland areas to lay their eggs near wet areas where they can submerge and swim,” Kucera says. “They’re omnivorous. They eat wetland bugs as well as plant material.”

A May walk at a wetland will reveal a host of interconnected plants and animals announcing spring with blooms and songs. Dragonflies can be seen flitting around wetlands, catching bugs and laying eggs in wet vegetation. Wetland birds may grab an adult dragonfly, while frogs eat dragonfly larvae from the water.

Wetlands of international importance are designated by Ramsar, the Convention on Wetlands, and a TWI property is on the list. On its website (Ramsar.org), Ramsar states, “Wetlands, are vital for human survival. They are among the world’s most productive environments; cradles of biological diversity that provide the water and productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival.”

Sheryl DeVore has written six books on science, health and nature, as well as nature, health and environment stories for national and regional publications. Read more at SherylDeVore.WordPress.com.