LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN, USA - 26 April 2026. A small interdunal vernal pond sits in an open sandy hollow at Ludington State Park, surrounded by scattered jack pines and a bleached driftwood snag on the active dune slopes above. Multiple bare sand ridges roll toward a forested dune crest in the background, illustrating the layered topography of Ludington's coastal dune system and the isolated wetland pockets that form between the ridges each spring. Credit: Jeffrey Wickett/Alamy Live News.

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