LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN, USA - 26 April 2026. A jack pine and surrounding trees are mirrored with striking clarity in the still, dark water of an interdunal vernal pond along a sandy trail at Ludington State Park. A bare dune slope rises through the tree line in the background. The seasonal ponds form each spring as snowmelt and rain collect in low swales between the park's ancient Lake Michigan dune ridges, providing rare wetland habitat within the coastal dune system. Credit: Jeffrey Wickett/Alamy Live News.

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