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.
Their high-pitched peeping seems to come from everywhere, but they are almost impossible to find. They are joined in this spring chorus by other frogs and toads, the humming of insects, and the calls of migratory birds. By summer, the sloughs of the swamp forest are covered with duckweed. This all but shields out other growth. However, blue flag, loosestrife, bonefest, and joe-pye weed are a few plants that are able to protrude above the duckweed, providing a splash of colour in this otherwise green carpet.