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New Discoveries with Venus Fly Traps
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- Written by charlie
- Category: Wetland Plants
One of the worlds most recognized plants, the Venus flytrap still amazes. It's carnivorous appetite, an adaptation to nutrient poor bog soil, is well known, but recently discovered was the plants ability to "count". To reduce false alarms, the flytraps sensory trigger hairs do not immediately fire when disturbed, but like any good predator, will wait until the hair is jiggled more than once, ensuring that a meal, and not a stray breeze, snaps the jaws closed. Considering the plant has been studies for centuries, its surprising that its common sense approach to minimizing false alarms hadn't been previously discovered.
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Long Island Sound Tidal Wetlands Loss Workshop Newsletter
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- Written by charlie
- Category: Plants and Wildlife
I came across the Spring 2015 issue of Sound Update focuses on the topics that were discussed at the 2014 Long Island Sound Tidal Wetlands Loss Workshop on October 22-23, 2014 in Port Jefferson, NY.
The articles summarize the following workshops and related research on:
- Topic 1: Wetland Submergence
- Topic 2: Ecological Indicators of Wetland Change
- Topic 3: Wetland Elevation Changes
- Topic 4: Marsh Migration
- Topic 5: Tidal Wetlands Trends and Conditions Assessment
Submergence is the gradual conversion of tall smooth cordgrass in the low marsh to mudflat. In coastal Connecticut and Long Island, the low marsh zone consisting largely of Spartina alterniflora, has been converting to mudflats over the last 30 years in many areas. There have been many proposed explanations, including climate change, the effects of excessive nitrogen curtailing root growth which in turn weakens the structure that keep the muck and peat bound together.
Also discussed is Sudden vegetation dieback (SVD) also found in the low marsh area, and identified by the loss of vegetation over a number of years with limited regrowth, likely the result of multiple stressors including the purple marsh crab.
The newsletter is a great introduction to the wetland science and challenges faced by wetlands in the Long Island Sound.
World Wetlands Day - 2016
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- Written by charlie
- Category: Other
Today, February 2nd is World Wetlands Day! I had originally planned to roll out a fresh version of the website, but haven't completed it yet, so I'll just leave this here, the home of Ramsars World Wetland Day, World Wetlands Day
Wetlands in the News
26 October 2026
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OpenAI applies for permit to fill wetlands for data center | Exclusive
OpenAI says its proposed data center will fill in 72 acres of wetlands in Effingham County.
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How Wetlands Protection Narrowed After Sackett
Wetlands Protection under the Clean Water Act narrowed after Sackett, leaving conservation, flood-control and permitting questions unresolved.
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Leelanau man charged after allegedly destroying wetlands
A Leelanau County man faces criminal charges for allegedly dredging and filling protected wetlands without permits.
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Wetlands: What You Don’t Know And Why It Matters
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover global and domestic health care and conservation. Unique Wetlands Ecosystems Protect Us from Flooding, Filter Our Drinking...
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Choctaw Nation expands wetlands protection program with EPA grant
A four-year project will improve wetland mapping, monitoring and conservation efforts across the Choctaw Nation.