As the trail dips downhill, heading toward the Dancing Marsh, a seasonal stream of fresh water appears. In late summer and fall a distinctive and important grass, Wild Rice, grows up to ten feet in height in the fresh water. Its seeds provide a major food source for migrating water fowl wintering in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Wetlands are home to many varieties of plants and animals. As the trail heads downhill, the fresh water gives way to the brackish influence of Popes Creek.
Corn is the single most important food crop in the United States.
In 1970 a corn fungal blight overwhelmed America's corn crop causing five billion dollars in losses. In 1976, Doctor Hugh Iltis, of the University of Wisconsin found a small, isolated plot of a corn like plant in a remote area of Mexico called teosinte - it proved to be one of the great discoveries of this century. What surprised many is this valuable plant was growing in a seemingly worthless landscape. It is a perennial relative of modern corn and is immune to seven of the nine major viruses in the world. The natural areas of Washington's Birthplace National Monument include a diversity of habitats, providing for a diversity of species.