Seasonally Flooded Basins

Seasonally Flooded Basin

These basins are most often visible in plowed fields and sometimes forage crops.  These basins are often visited by ducks and geese during spring migration, and during wet autumns.  Their locations are easy to spot in summer by stunted or absent crops.  The wet soils have little oxygen and slow growth and encourage fungal problems.  There is usually an absence of wetland perennials here, but wetland and other annuals may thrive if herbicide levels are low.  These basins are often farmed simply because it is easier for a tractor to go straight through than try and go around and disrupt planting patterns.  Also, if drainage is rather quick, some of the best soils in a field can be found here due to the accumulation of topsoil from erosion.  If left to nature, these seasonally flooded basins would be low prairie, wet or sedge meadow, or ephemeral ponds.