Helianthus was up in the North Country this winter and we were awed by the diversity of wetlands and their beauty even in the winter months. Bogs are wetlands that occur in depressions in the landscape and have acidic, peaty soils. The bog plant community is characterized by sphagnum moss, leatherleaf shrubs, and stunted evergreen trees. A fen is found in alkaline soils in areas influenced by groundwater. The fen plant community is dominated by blue-joint grass, sedges, tag alder and red-osier dogwood. We found examples of both in the Eagle River area.
