No matter where you go in Minnesota, you are probably not far from a wetlands or land that once was wetlands When the last glaciers retreated from Minnesota 10,000 years ago, they left an uneven landscape full of massive chunks of ice, that eventually melted to form basins which then became lakes, marshes, and other wetlands.
Wetlands fulfill a variety of functions.
They control floods by slowing runoff and provide space for water to accumulate during the spring snow melt. They purify water by allowing rainwater and runoff to gradually soak into the ground, entering the ground water only after wetland plants have extracted nutrients and water has passed through many layers of wetland sediments. And they provide a diverse and biologically productive habitat for wildlife, producing as much plant and animal life as a similar sized area of tropical rain forest. An area is considered to be a wetland if it is covered by water for at least part of the year, has waterlogged soils, or supports water-loving plants. Each Minnesota biome contains several types, although some wetland types are more likely to be found in forests, while others are more common in prairies.