Oxbow

©Stephen Wolfe_flickrcreativecommons
©Stephen Wolfe_flickrcreativecommons

The oxbow, like the bottomland hardwood forest, is a mitigation wetland. This lake is disconnected from the river and fills through flooding events, allowing for nutrient and sediment filtration. The oxbow tends to flood in the late winter to early spring but will dry up through the summer. By late summer or early fall, the oxbow has usually dried up. The vegetation in this area can vary depending on the weather conditions each year, and the dry oxbow will either have a large mudflat where deeper standing water was or become vegetated. This site is a popular spot for birdwatching, especially during the spring and fall as birds migrate.

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