Should they accidentally fall into the water, they happily paddle to the nearest high ground. While dead trees are important to these warblers and other birds, not all the trees are dying. Silver maple and sycamore are two species that have survived the swamp's changes. Silver maples display the typical maple leaf, while the sycamore is easily identified by its bark, which appears to be peeling. With a few exceptions, sycamores are found only in the Carolinian Zone.
All forests have understories made up of shrubs and flowering plants.
One of the most attractive swamp shrubs is the spicebush, especially in autumn when it is covered in bright red berries. The caterpillar of this beautiful, blue-black swallowtail feeds primarily on spicebush and so, at least in this part of Canada, it is a common sight on summer days. The attractions of the swamp are not only visual. The swamp forest can be a noisy place in spring, when the aptly named spring peepers are in full voice. Spring peepers are thumbnail-sized frogs found primarily in the swamp forest.