Like the flower gardens in your yard, Floating Islands, or Floating Treatment Wetlands as they are sometimes called, benefit from planning and maintenance to keep them looking nice for many years. Plants for Floating Wetlands We recommend native wetland plants. We usually order 2″ plant plugs which work well with our 3″ plant holes cored into the islands. Native wetland … Read More

When you visit a floating island, you often see dragonflies and monarch butterflies flit around the pollinator friendly flowers. You may see small turtles sunning themselves or a duck resting. But below the islands there is so much more. Floating Islands can be planted with a wide variety of native aquatic plants that grow long roots through the matrix in … Read More

What is Phosphorus? Why is it Important? Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for all life on Earth. It plays a crucial role on nearly all forms of life, from providing the backbone for the structure of DNA to the growth and repair of bone and muscle tissue. Where is Phosphorus Found? In aquatic systems, phosphorus can exist in two distinct … Read More

Looking for ideas on which flowers to use on your floating island? We recommend using multiple species of native plants to flower in different times as well as attract diverse insects and birds. Here are some flowers that are native to Minnesota and have been planted successfully on floating wetland islands.  Scientific names have been added to help you locate … Read More

1. Biodiversity You can choose different plants on your floating island that are not growing on the shoreline. Many plants cannot grow well on the shoreline due to droughts or flooding as the water levels change. 2. Healthier Plants grow on Floating Wetlands Native plants on islands often grow taller and healthier than their companions along the shoreline because they … Read More

Floating Islands, also called floating treatment wetlands (FTW’s), are ideal for improving water quality and habitat in stormwater ponds. Stormwater ponds are artificial ponds designed to manage rain and snowmelt runoff. Why is storm water a problem Hard surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks, and roads do not allow water to naturally soak into the ground. The large volume of runoff either … Read More

Today BioHaven® floating islands can be found all over the world. But what was the start of this successful idea? A graduate of University of Wisconsin, Madison, Bruce Kania led the team that created the islands. He thought of Madison as an urban think tank and it helped him foster many of his ideas. While attending the university, he founded … Read More