Life Where the Aquifer Rises
by Abby Mann and Caroline Taylor
Seeps and springs are extraordinary places where groundwater from beneath the land surface makes its appearance, hosting remarkable biodiversity. They sustain important ecosystems that often go unnoticed. These natural outflow areas occur where aquifers intersect with the land providing steady sources of water for plants and wildlife. Springs typically emerge as concentrated flows
forming channels of moving water that support aquatic life. Seeps spread more gradually across the landscape creating damp, nutrientrich soils that support small wetland plant communities. These groundwater-fed systems serve as critical ecological lifelines.
In regions like Maryland’ s Piedmont, many streams depend on consistent baseflow from underground sources. Baseflow is the portion of water in streams and creeks that comes from groundwater seepage and delayed surface flow, rather than direct runoff immediately following precipitation.
Photo: bev thoms
Watercress grows in profuson in a spring on the Thom’ s Tiewyan Farm in Dickerson, Maryland.
32 plenty I summer growing 2026