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PRAIRIE POTHOLE IMAGE
Prairie pothole
 
Left behind by retreating glaciers, a mosaic of shallow, seasonally flooded wetlands imprints the northern plains. Fed by snowmelt and rain, the potholes are breeding oases for most of North America’s ducks. The birds build nests in the fringing marshes and adjacent uplands, fortifying themselves for egg production by feeding on the stew of invertebrates and aquatic vegetation. From the bottom (above), diving canvasback ducks pull duck potatoes, fleshy tubers of the arrowhead root. Located in rich farmland, potholes have been relentlessly drained, despite their role in recharging aquifers.

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