It doesn't take that much time, actually. If we put a ditch plug in during the fall, typically by the next summer, if the water returns, we'll start to see some of the aquatic vegetation coming back. Two to three years down the road, you'd be hard-pressed to know by looking at it that it was a restored wetland. Some of the functions may take a bit longer to fully develop, but from a visual perspective it looks very similar to a wetland that has not been impacted. It's amazing how fast they can return.
On May 28th, 2013. See this statement in context.