introduction - Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program

Gifford Run Wetlands (pg. 81)Steeplebush (Spirea tomentosa) in bloom(left), three-way sedge (Dulichiumarundinaceum) in fruitWetlandsof Clearfield CountyLeft Branch Moose Creek Headwaters Wetland (pg. 127)Winterberry (Ilex verticillata, red-berried shrub), inkberry(Nemopanthus mucronatus, shrub to right), cinnamon fern(Osmunda cinnamomea, fern in foreground)Gifford Run Vernal Pools (pg. 80)88Parker Dam Beaver Ponds (pg. 81)Aquatic plants surrounded by shrubwetlandWetlands are habitats ofexceptional ecological importance,and serve many functions alsovaluable to people.• Breeding habitat for manyamphibian species• Help to clean and filter water• Provide natural flood control• Typically host a high diversity ofinsect species• Some types of wetlands—such as true bogs, calcareousfens, or mature floodplainforests—host species that canlive no where else.See pg. 12 for more information onwetland types of Clearfield County.