Weekly Wildlife at the Garden: Fishy Business

Posted in Photography on June 2 2015, by Patricia Gonzalez

Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.

I shot this photo in the wetlands of the Native Plant Garden on April 12 of this year. It’s great that these wetlands are attracting all manner of wildlife, including this mallard drake.

Shortly before the Native Plant Garden opened to the public, my department was given a tour. That’s where we learned that when mallards and other ducks fly into the water for a swim, they also carry in fish eggs that have stuck to their feet during visits to other bodies of water. How cool is that? The fish eggs hatch and populate the new location, and the circle of life continues.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) – Photo by Patricia Gonzalez