Ellice Swamp is a large woodlot in

Perth County, Ontario Perth County is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario in Southwestern Ontario, west of Toronto. Its population centres are Listowel, Mitchell and Milverton. The City of Stratford and the Town of St. Marys are within the Perth census di ...

. The swamp covers approximately 856 hectares (2,115 acres). It is located between Stratford and Milverton in the northeastern portion of the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

Watershed, between the North Branch of the Thames and the Nith River. Historically, it was known as Ellice Huckleberry Swamp and was part of the

Huron Tract The Huron Tract Purchase also known as the Huron Block, registered as Crown Treaty Number 29, is a large area of land in southwestern Ontario bordering on Lake Huron to the west and Lake Erie to the east. The area spans the counties of Huron, Pert ...

administered by the

Canada Company The Canada Company was a private British land development company that was established to aid in the colonization of a large part of Upper Canada. It was incorporated by royal charter on August 19, 1826, under an act of the British parliament,, ...

. The wetland is 100%

palustrine Palustrine wetlands include any inland wetland that contains ocean-derived salts in concentrations of less than 0.5 parts per thousand, and is non- tidal. The word ''palustrine'' comes from the Latin word ''palus'' or marsh. Wetlands within this ...

with 100% organic substrates. It is primarily owned by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority; the northern section of Ellice Swamp being owned by the

Grand River Conservation Authority The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is a conservation authority in Ontario, Canada. It operates under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. It is a corporate body, through which municipalities, landowners and other organization ...

Flora and fauna

Although the swamp is covered with sphagnum moss, woody vegetation is replacing the traditional wet bog species. Poplar, black ash and silver maple forest cover most of the area. Although the swamp's historical name "Huckleberry Swamp" suggests the presence of the huckleberry plant, it has been eliminated from the area.

Golden winged warbler

The golden-winged warbler is a New World warbler. It breeds in southeastern and south-central Canada and the Appalachian Mountains northeastern to north-central United States. The majority (~70%) of the global population breeds in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Manitoba. Golden-winged warbler populations are slowly expanding northwards, but are generally declining across its range, most likely as a result of habitat loss and competition/interbreeding with the very closely related blue-winged warbler. According to the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, the golden-winged warbler is found only at the Ellice Swamp within Perth County.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Swamp Friends: ''Friends of Ellice & Gadshill Swamps''

Wetlands of Ontario Natural areas in Ontario Geography of Perth County, Ontario Nature reserves in Ontario Stratford, Ontario

Flora and fauna

Golden winged warbler

See also

References

External links