White Lake fen facts for kids
The White Lake fen is a special kind of wetland found on the edge of White Lake in Lanark County, Ontario, Canada. A fen is like a marsh or a swamp, but it gets its water and nutrients from groundwater that has flowed through rocks like marble or limestone. This makes fens very unique places!
The White Lake fen is considered a very important natural area. It's known as an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest and a Provincially Significant Wetland. This means it's a protected spot because of its special plants and animals. Fens are quite rare in the Lanark County area. This particular fen is very large, stretching for almost two kilometers and covering about 90 hectares (that's like 220 football fields!).
What is the White Lake Fen?
A fen is a type of wetland that gets its water from underground sources, not just rain. This water often picks up minerals from rocks like marble or limestone, which makes the fen's water rich in certain nutrients. White Lake has both granite and marble rocks nearby, and the fens on the south side of the lake grow on the marble bedrock.
The White Lake fen is connected to the open water of the lake. Scientists have found that fens connected to lakes can be a little different from fens that are more cut off from other water bodies.
Special Plants of the Fen
This fen is home to many interesting plants. Large areas are covered by a thick mat of plants, mostly a type of grass called wooly sedge (Carex lasiocarpa).
You can also find two very unusual and beautiful orchids here:
- The Pogonia ophioglossoides, also known as the Rose Pogonia.
- The Calopogon tuberosus.
Many evergreen bushes also grow in the fen, including:
- Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum)
- Kalmia angustifolia
- Andromeda glaucophylla
The fact that these evergreen bushes grow here tells us that the soil in the wetland doesn't have a lot of nutrients. In drier spots closer to the lake shore, you can find wet forests with trees like white cedar and black spruce.
Unique Animals of the Fen
The White Lake fen is also one of the few places in Canada where you can find a special insect called the bogbean buckmoth. This moth is a type of silk moth. It's unique because its caterpillars love to eat another plant that grows in the fen, called bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata). This shows how different plants and animals depend on each other in this special wetland.
