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Mallard Ducks Look for ducks with emerald green heads and a white band around their necks – those are the male mallards. The females are speckled brown. Rainbow Trout These fish have longer bod ies than the pumpkinseed fish. They have a beautiful pink stripe running along the sides of their bodies and are spotted with black. They mostly eat aquatic insects, but sometimes larger adults will eat small fish. Snails Look for small, black snails along the shoreline. If you find one, see if you can find its one, slimy foot sticking out of its shell. It uses this foot to move! Water Striders These insects are easy to spot – they’re the ones skipping across the top of the water! Look for a shorter pair of front legs, used to grasp the insects they hunt that have fallen on top of the water. The two pairs of much longer hind legs do the skipping! Painted Turtles Find the big log sticking out of the water over by the side of the lagoon closest to Currents Aquatics Center. Here you may see some sunbathing turtles! Did you know painted turtles hibernate in the mud at the bottom of the lagoon during the colder months? Pumpkinseed Fish From the shore or bridge, look for one or two small, round fish hovering over their rocky nests. These fish clear an area of muck at the bot tom of the pond to expose the gravel to use as nests for their eggs. The pair then protect their nests by hovering above them. These fish are beauti fully colored, but from the shore they look tan and blend in well – their gravel nests are easier to spot first and then you will see the pumpkinseed! W ha t Can You Find at Silver ’s La goo n ? Other plants and animals you may find: Green algae Cattails Willows Cottonwood trees Osprey grabbing fish out of the lagoon with their talons Backswimmers – insects that dive underwater by using an air bubble! ---PAGE BREAK--- Inside artwork created by children from Missoula Community School’s 2009 Summer Camp Program. all photos and brochure creation by Erin Kral What did you see at Silver’s Lagoon? 1) 2) 3) 4) Cool sculpture of people fishing 5) 6) 7) 8) A train! 9) 10) Silver’s Lagoon a children’s guide A Children’s Fishing Pond at McCormick Park in Missoula, Montana