Wetlands are found along waterways and in floodplains. They come in all shapes and sizes. Wetlands filter water, providing flood and erosion control. Wetlands were once thought of as useless swamps. But now, we know they are home to abundant fish and wildlife.

A wetland is an area of land that is either covered by water or saturate d with water. The water is often groundwater, seep ing up from an aquifer or spring. A wetland’s water can also come from a nearby river or lake. Seawater can also create wetlands, especially in coastal areas that experience strong tide s.

Often called “nurseries of life,” wetlands provide habitat for thousands of species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. Although wetlands are best known for being home to water lilies, turtles, frogs, snakes, alligators, and crocodiles, they also provide important habitat for waterfowl, fish, and mammals.

Wetlands are transitional areas, sandwiched between permanently flooded deepwater environments and well-drained uplands, where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. They include mangroves, marshes (salt, brackish, intermediate, and fresh), swamps, forested wetlands, bogs, wet prairies, prairie potholes, and …