Wet Meadow

Wet Meadows (Fresh Meadows)

This plant community is somewhat drier than the sedge meadow, and the major difference between them is that while there are often many sedges, the dominant plants are members of the grass family (Poaceae).  Like sedge meadows, a major problem for wet meadows are invasive species like reed canarygrass, which may prefer the slightly drier wet meadows.  However one of the most common native residents of wet meadows in the Midwest is Canada Bluejoint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis).  Some consider the wet meadow to be a disturbed habitat.

Like sedge meadows, wet meadows are under threat from invasive species, especially Reed Canary Grass which has replaced many native plants with its monotypic stands.  Fire suppression, and the absence of other conservation practices that control naturally invading shrubs and trees, leads to loss of this habitat. 

Reed Canary Grass hay
This reed canary grass hayfield is a degraded wet meadow.