Imagine eating 50 pounds of salad every day. It might sound like excess, but when you’re an 800 pound moose, this is an average day’s portion of leaves and twigs. Moose need to eat such large quantities because many of the land plants they eat aren’t all that nutritious. Fortunately for moose, large aquatic plants (macrophytes) are rich in protein and sodium and therefore make up half of that 50 pound salad.

Read the full post at Earthgauge.net

Many animals call the wetlands and rivers of North America home, but one recognizable figure you’ll find wading through the marshy stream banks is the great blue heron. Herons can be found throughout the United States and have a migration range from southern Canada to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Read the full post at Earthgauge.net

Scientists are noticing a decreasing trend in populations of our amphibious friends all over the United States. Researchers first took notice of this around 1989 and by 2004, studies showed that 32.5 percent of the world’s frog populations and 31.7 percent of the United States’ frog populations were on the decline.

Read the full post at Earthgauge.net

An invasive species is one that is introduced to areas that are not part of its natural range, where it may not have any natural enemies to keep its population in check. Invasive plants and animals can wreak havoc on natural areas, causing economic, environmental and even human health impacts.

Read the full post at Earthgauge.net

Have you ever seen a local stream turn brown after a storm? Rain water carries all sorts of pollutants into streams that muddy the water and make it unhealthy for fish and other animals that depend on it, including humans.  

Luckily, there is a solution already in place, as long as we don’t uproot it: trees.

Read the full post at Earthgauge.net

Headwater streams channel water from higher elevations into larger streams and eventually the ocean, but there is another way they help literally feed the waters downstream. Small headwater streams are generally surrounded by overhanging vegetation. This riverside plant life is the start of the food chain through which energy flows and is passed between living things as streams connect and grow larger.

Read the full post at Earthgauge.net

Wetlands have sometimes been regarded as an uninviting part of nature. Because of this, many people don’t take the time to get to know their local wetlands and learn about the many benefits they provide.  More than half of the wetlands that once existed in the United States have been drained, filled, farmed or built over as cities sprawl.  We can help protect the wetlands that remain by identifying the types of wetlands in our own area and understanding the value of these ecosystems as a whole.

Read the full post and find similar posts about wetlands in your region at Earthgauge.net

During heavy rainstorms, hillsides without larger plants such as trees and shrubs are at the greatest risk of being washed away or eroded by rainwater.  This makes agricultural land a vulnerable site for storm water runoff. Luckily, several cultivation techniques can greatly reduce the effects of erosion.

Read the full post at Earthgauge.net

What makes a piece of land a wet-land?  It may seem like an easy question when the word is broken down, but when we look closer, we find that not all wetlands are wet for the same reason.  Hydrology (water characteristics) is the defining feature of a wetland, and the soil and plants in wetlands are shaped by the presence of water.  The amount, flow, composition and source of water helps determine the soil type and vegetation found there.

Read the full post at Earthgauge.net