I believe I've paddled all the wetlands on this list, at least insofar as their names appear on maps or have been told to me by locals. But I'm not sure I can define and differentiate them. Can you help?
Swamp
Bayou
Vly (a fairly common word in the Adirondacks)
Marsh
Bog
Fen
Muskeg
Mire
Quagmire
Estuary
Slough
As mentioned above, a lot of this sort of thing is regional, at least here it is. I've paddle all the ones I'm giving you the Lake Maurepas Swamp definition for, either in a pirogue, kayak or aluminum flat. (remember, I'm new to this canoe thing.
) I'm going to throw in a few of the regional areas we have down here too and see what you guys call them.
Swamp - Usually a forested area that either stays wet or floods regularly. It's usually cut through by bayous and sloughs. Lots of cypress and hardwood in the swaps around here. Some solid ground, but lots of water and mud.
Bayou - Typically slow to no movement bodies of water/creeks that are interspersed in low lying areas. Most connect to larger tributaries and eventually the lake system.
Vly - Never heard of that one.
Marsh - Very few trees and mostly saw grass as far as you can see. There's no solid ground really, just shallow water and a floating mat of reeds, grass and bio-matter. The large area around Lake Pontchartrain is refereed to by the locals as "The Prairie" and what most here consider to be a marsh.
Bog - These are usually found here just above sea level in wooded areas, locals call them lows, bogs, or frog ponds. They typically aren't large enough or deep enough to paddle, typically holding only a few inches of water. Most are protected as part of the natural watershed now and aren't allowed to be filled or altered for new construction.
Fen - Never heard of this one either.
Muskeg - I know what they are, but here, it would just be "swamp". I'm not sure we could even form a muskeg since there's no permafrost. Don't they only form above permafrost where there's no percolation?
Mire - I know this one too, but it's never used down here, again it would just be "swamp". It is used in Texas to describe areas around the mouth of rivers dammed to form lakes and reservoirs when the water levels drop. The exposed mud is referred to as "mires". It's usually sticky grey clay with no bottom and there have been many shoes and boots lost to it including a few of my own.
Quagmire - Isn't that the weird character from "Family Guy" ?
Actually just see above, around north Texas they interchange both words to mean the same areas along a low river bank.
Estuary - Here that would usually mean part of a delta that is typically set aside as a wildlife preserve, usually bird nesting areas.
Slough - The word is interchangeable with bayou in south Louisiana. You call it what your family does, I use slough a lot, we have several on our property. They would also fit our definition of bayou as well, but my grandpa called them "sloughs".
Here are a few I've paddled down here that aren't on the list and our definitions. I'd love to hear what y'all call them or how the description would be different for you.
Delta - The deposited sediment and marshy areas around the mouth of a river where it empties into a large body of water, as in a lake, gulf or ocean. It's very much like a marsh, but usually has some actual solid ground. They are typically wildlife havens and are really fun to explore. More often than not, the water is brackish to salty.
Gulf - Well, I hardly have to define the Gulf of Mexico, but...I've mother shipped out to the oil rigs a few times and paddled around them fishing. It's really fun and a little scary at times, but that's just part of the excitement.
Pull Boat Runs - This one is very regional, they are long straight canals cut into the swamp at the turn of the 20th century to aid in the harvesting of cypress wood. They're really fun to paddle and a great way to quickly move between larger tributaries in the swamp.
Interstate Highway Ponds/Canals - Everything here has to be raised including the highways, so we end up with some unusual bodies of water. To raise the highway, they dig large, usually rectangular, holes to get the fill dirt they need. These fill with water and fish and are fun to paddle and wild camp. They range from an acre or so to probably 10 acres for some of the larger ones. We also have countless canals formed by the same process.
Basin - A large, very shallow lake in a swampy area. Usually interspersed with trees. The Atchafalaya Basin is the most recognized here in Louisiana and the set for most "swamp" movies and shows shot here.
Rigolets - Large natural straight in a river delta or swamp/marsh area, usually open to the gulf.
Bay - Any open body of water that's open on one side to the gulf.
Pass - A large natural occurring tributary that connects lakes or basins that runs through the swamp but has no flow except for tidal changes.
Backwater - These are areas along the gulf coast that hold water but are not affected by tides or any flow. Usually right at the edge of he gulf, they're basically gulf ground water fed salty ponds.
Interesting thread, thanks for letting me play along.
