Wetland Wonderland

Wetlands are remarkably important for a number of reasons: they recharge groundwater supplies; trap floodwaters; and contain a disproportionately high number of animal and plant species when compared to other types of land. In fact, almost half of the species on the U.S. Endangered Species List use wetlands at some time during their lifecycles, and more than 1/3 of the species on that list live only in wetlands.

But aside from their importance, wetlands are quite beautiful. The above pic is of an Eagle preserve on highway 30 and the Columbia River. Amazing beautiful wetlands!

Want to help create more biodiversity in your own yard? Put in a pond! Here's a photo of the immense pond put in at the farm I used to live at on the Olympic Peninsula:

Obviously most folks won't have the ability to put in a pond of this size on their land, but even small ones will make a difference.

So here's to building ponds!

Note: all photos are by me, unless otherwise specified--that's my watermark. (I was recently asked if I understood copyright laws since there were watermarks on my photos. Uh, yeah, I certainly do!)