Late Spring at the Wetlands, Part 1: Critters

There’s a wetlands wildlife refuge a few minutes from my house, and it’s where I most often go to take pictures. I enjoy watching the seasons change in the form of seeing different animals and plants, and late spring is my favorite time. Many of the flowers are blooming, and the animals are active and showing off their babies.

Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly
Canada Geese goslings. I love the way their down glows when it’s backlit.
Not sure what this insect is, but it’s kind of cute.
Eastern Cottontail
Monarch caterpillar on milkweed.
Muskrat
More backlit goslings. The parent geese are very watchful and protective. They’ve bobbed their heads and hissed at me, so I don’t get too close, and I’ve heard of them chasing people sometimes. The adults have what look to be very sharp “teeth” inside their beaks, and I wouldn’t want to be bitten by one.
Red-eared Slider. Although they’re native here, I recently learned they’re invasive in some parts of the world. This one was a good ways from the lake and let me get fairly close before trotting into the weeds.

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