Although they make up less than one percent of the state's total area, Kansas wetlands--marshes, swamps, woodland pools, seasonal ponds, and even roadside ditches--support more wildlife than the other 99 percent combined. From the lowliest pothole to the grand sweeps of Cheyenne Bottoms, these habitats play a major role in the survival of birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and plants--both common and endangered.
The book's full-color photographs capture wetlands life in all of its resplendent diversity. Pictured here are avocets, otters, snappers, snipes, pelicans, opossums, dowitcher, dragonflies, crawfrogs, crayfish, minks, skinks, newts, coots, and much more.
But, as the authors remind us, wetlands are not just primary breeding sights and stopovers for hundreds of species--they also provide important services for the state's human population as well. They supply water, help with flood control, and serve as purifying filters for larger bodies of water. Often near sources of drinkable water, wetlands trap silt, sediments, pesticides, pollutants, and toxins that would otherwise flow into streams, rivers, and lakes.
Gorgeous to look at, Kansas Wetlands is also a timely call to preserve this important part of the state's natural heritage.
