Featured Activity: Wetland Scavenger Hunt

Wetlands can be found all throughout the United States. Marshes, swamps, bogs and fens are common types of wetlands. All wetlands provide habitat (food, water and shelter) for plants and animals. How many different living things can you see? Visit a local wetland and find out!

*Remember not to touch or collect plants that you or an adult cannot identify and keep a safe distance from wild animals.*

What You’ll Need

• A local wetland (to find one near you, check out nature centers, wildlife refuges, or the edges of rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and beaches)
• An adult to go with you
• Snack, water bottle, hat and sunscreen
• Notebook and pencil
• Binoculars (optional)
• Magnifying glass (optional)
• Camera (optional)
• A field guide to local plants and animals (optional)

What to Do

• Try to find as many living and non-living things as possible. Some suggestions are:
  • Signs of animals (sounds, footprints, scat, feathers, chewed leaves, dens, nests)
  • Birds (flying, swimming, hopping)
  • Insects (flying, floating, walking) and spiders
  • Amphibians, such as frogs, toads and salamanders
  • Plants and trees (living in the water, on land or both)
  • Wildflowers, seeds and berries
  • Something that is camouflaged (blends into its surroundings)
  • Signs of people (buildings, footprints, pollution)
• Record them in your notebook by drawing, naming or describing them, or by writing a poem about them. If you have a camera, you can also take a picture.

Brain Buster

All wetland plants and animals have adaptations (changes in their bodies or behaviors) in order to survive. Some wetlands flood frequently; others are dry for long periods of time; and some go back and forth between wet and dry. Some provide shade and others are in direct sunlight. If you were an animal, insect or plant living in a wetland, what type of body or behavior would you need to survive?

Top image by Don Virgovic, courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; bottom image courtesy of nih.gov.