Introduction
Sand ponds are depressions formed among sand dunes within the Delta region. The dunes are wind-blown deposits of sediments that were first carried to Arkansas by stream channels flowing from melting glaciers far to the north. The dune fields are estimated to be between 12,000 and 30,000 years old. Individual dunes typically are 3 to 5 meters high, and support upland forests or have been converted to agriculture. Numerous small enclosed depressions form among the dunes, resulting in a poorly-drained environment that ponds rainwater and collects local groundwater for extended durations. As a result, distinctive, isolated wetlands form that usually include swamp species such as baldcypress or water tupelo in the deepest interior areas, and successively less water-tolerant species around the perimeter of the depression. Many sand ponds, particularly those in the northern part of their distribution, contain the shrub species pondberry and corkwood, which do not occur commonly in any other habitat in Arkansas.
Sand pond wetlands occur in several distinct bands within the Delta region. The only publicly-accessible example of this type is just outside the Arkansas State line in Ripley County, Missouri, at the Missouri Department of Conservation Pondberry Natural Area.
For more details on the Sand Pond, click here.
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