Freshwater Marshes
The main freshwater marshes in Bermuda are Devonshire Marsh, Paget Marsh and Pembroke Marsh. Freshwater marshes support high wildlife diversity including migratory bats who are hunting insects, barn owls, migratory songbirds, amphibians, herons, and waterfowl. They are also home to many threatened plant species.
Bermuda Cedar and Palmetto, Paget Marsh
Plants found in Peat Marshes in Bermuda include:
Cinnamon Fern (Osumunda cinnomemea) - native
Southern Bracken
Southern Bracken (Pteridium caudatum) - native
Virginia Chain Fern (Woodwardia virginica) - native
Giant Fern (Achrosticum excelsum) - native
Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) - native
Saw Grass (Cladium jamaicense) - native
Bermuda Sedge (Carex bermudiana) - endemic
Ten-day Fern (Polystichum adiantiforme) - native
St. Andrew’s Cross (Hypericum hypericoides) - native
Whisk Fern (Psilotum nudum) - native
Bermuda Spike Rush (Eleocharis bermudiana) - endemic
Bermuda Campylopus (Campylopus bermudianus) endemic moss
Cattails (Typha angustifolia) - native
Royal Fern and Wax Myrtle
Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera) - native
Bermuda Cedar (Juniperus bermudiana) - endemic
Bermuda Palmetto (Sabal bermudana) - endemic
Doc Bush (Baccharis glomeruliflora) - native
Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) - invasive
Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) - native
Water Fern (Salvinia spp.)
Duckweed (Lemna minor)
Shoebutton Ardisia (Ardisia sp.) - invasive
Cow Cane or Giant Reed (Arundo donax) - invasive
Learn More:
- Bermuda Biodiversity Project Information Sheet on Peat Marsh Habitat
- The Great Devonshire Marsh Fire of December 1996, and Some of its Consequences, by Dr. David Wingate. In the Bermuda Audubon Society Newsletter, Spring 1997 Vol. 8 #1.
