Wet meadows support a wide variety of flowering plants, many reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and birds, as well as wide-ranging mammals such as coyotes and moose. Large birds such as sandhill cranes feed on the abundant crustaceans, while owls and hawks prey on small mammals and birds. They often occur in association with lakes, rivers or with other wetland types. There is usually an area of open water, with cattails or bulrushes on the edges. They store large amounts of floodwater, and support a wide variety of wildlife, including fish.
Marshes are especially attractive to birds, including loons, ducks, geese, herons, and egrets.
They are found in both prairie and forest biomes. They may spread out for thousands of acres, and are especially common in northern Minnesota. Migrating birds use swamps as rest stops, and woodpeckers search for insects in the abundant dead trees. The vast, inaccessible peatlands of Northern Minnesota are our most undisturbed wilderness areas.