What is a wetland and why is it important?

A wetland is ground that stays wet for much of the year, such as a marsh, swamp, or bog. It matters because it gives animals shelter, slows floodwater, cleans dirty runoff, and stores carbon in soaked soil where dead plants break down very slowly.

The mud is doing more than looking messy. Frogs, fish, turtles, birds, insects, and many plants use these shallow, soggy places for food and young. A wetland can be a nursery, a filter, and a flood cushion all at once.