Gott Fen

Herrick Fen

A seep, found the discharge zone where groundwater reaches the surface

Fens in Ohio were created from the remnants of glaciers that scraped through the landscape, forming vast gravel deposits, which filled with ground water. Fens are wetlands that obtain their water from ground water or drainage from nearby elevated land. The water depth in a fen is usually maintained at a constant depth and cooler temperature during the year, because of the continuous water flow through the system. Northern Ohio fens are prime examples of fens because of the water chemistry and cool temperatures similar to those found in northern latitudes.

Potentilla fruticosa is common in fens because it can live in the calcium carbonate rich soil

Fens are characterized by their neutral to alkaline pH, contrary to their counterpart, bogs, which have acidic water. Because of this, they have more nutrients available which makes them home to many plant species. Plants that flourish in a calcium and magnesium rich environment are most abundant, such as Potentilla fruticosa. The different plant communities grow in three zones: discharge zone, sedge mat zone and border zone. Although typically fens have three zones, they do not always have clear distinctions between each zone.

Drosera rotundifolia (round-leaved sundew)

Because of destruction of wetlands for agriculture and building, it is important to note that
these habitat types are very threatened and suffer from human impact. Beyond habitat destruction, human impact has also brought many invasive species in the wetlands. Invasive species are nonnative species that threaten to wipe out or at least suppress native plant communities. The sign for the first site that we visited, Gott Fen State Nature Preserve, was almost completely unreadable as a thicket of invasive buckthorn had grown up right in front of it. Rhamnas fragula or “glossy buckthorn” is an invasive species that is typically seen in bogs and fens. However, in Gott Fen State Nature Preserve the managers of the land have taken an active management approach to the buckthorn problem. There are many ways to control invasive populations and the method used at Gott Fen State Nature Preserve is often referred to as cutting.  This involves snipping off the top part of the plant which deprives the rest of the living plant of any source of energy and eventually causes it to die. After some time of using this cutting approach on several areas within the nature preserve, a few rare specimens of sundew were observed in areas that had previously been choked off by buckthorn growth. Also observed in the newly cleared areas was a single example of the rare Grass-of-Parnassus. The sighting of these two rare species in a previously infested area demonstrates the remarkable ability of active management to encourage the growth of native species.

Parnassia glauca - Grass of Parnassus

Wildflowers in bloom at Herrick Fen

More information on visiting Herrick Fen can be found at:

Herrick Fen Nature Preserve (ODNR)

Herrick Fen Nature Preserve (Nature Conservancy)

Permits are required to visit Gott Fen. More information on obtaining a permit can be found at:

ODNR State Nature Preserves / Permit Information