Coastal fen is a sedge- and rush-dominated lacustrine wetland that occurs on calcareous substrates along Lake Huron and Lake Michigan north of the climatic tension zone. The community occurs on marl and organic soils in historic coastal embayments and on moderately alkaline, carbonate-rich fine-textured sands and clays lakeward. Vegetation is comprised primarily of calciphilic species capable of growing on wet alkaline substrates. Fluctuating Great Lakes water levels at multiple spatial and temporal scales and groundwater seepage are the primary natural processes that influence community structure, species composition, and succession. - Michigan Natural Features Inventory
Things To Do
Plant Community Viewing
