"And now for something completely different" at the wetlands.....

....or "large rodent in a sea of green".

 This was a new sighting for us!  I have seen muskrats swimming across the ponds or in the creek at the wetlands, but this one was sitting in the shallow duckweed and shoveling it in his mouth as fast as he could.

 We were standing on the bridge looking for birds and turtles and frogs, when Mike spotted him over at one side.  He didn't seem to even mind that much that we were watching him.

 His paws and mouth were moving constantly....

....and when he needed some more, he would reach out with both arms and rake the stuff towards him.  So funny to watch! 

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 That made me curious as to what all animals eat duckweed.  I Googled it and found that  ducks, geese, other birds (I've seen goldfinches eat it), fish, and some mammals (including pigs and elephants, but I doubt I will see any of those!)  all eat it.  The turtles and fish and frogs use it for shade, too.  Most people that have it on their ponds would like to get rid of it, which is a shame for the wildlife.  The creek here at the wetlands is always covered with it all summer, but as fall comes along it slowly disappears.  There are usually quite a few ducks and geese on the creek during the fall.

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Becky, at Woodnook Creations blog, tells me that she used to grow duckweed for people with tropical fish.  It floats on top of the water and protects the babies from the bigger fish.  Interesting!