The wetland complex has a high level of plant and animal biodiversity, including birds, turtles, fish, trees, shrubs, and ferns.
[4] Mucky peat is formed from plant matter such as sedges, mosses, and leaves that are laid down in permanent bodies of water.
Significant hydrological alterations such as dam construction or draining could negatively impact the habitat quality of the site.
[2] The lake in the wetland complex may be manmade, possibly impounded by the construction of a nearby highway and railroad.
[1] Historically, recreational activities on the lake in the wetland complex included fishing and ice skating.
[5][6] In July 1936, high temperatures caused stagnant water and gases to kill approximately a thousand carp and catfish in the Espy Bog.
They include freshwater mussels, eastern floaters, painted turtles, and numerous species of dragonfly and damselfly.
Bird species inhabiting the area include the red-eyed vireo, the song sparrow, the wood thrush, the turkey vulture, the northern cardinal, the great blue heron, the cedar waxwing, and several others.
These include poison sumac, buttonbush, smooth alder, silky dogwood, spicebush, willow, winterberry holly, and meadow-sweet.