When I was a kid in Wenatchee, Washington, as soon as the weather permitted, Mom and Dad would break out the fishing gear.  With the boat secured on top, we’d all scramble into the pickup and head to the nearest water source where good fishing had been reported.  I always looked for beautiful wild Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon) and often we would find a family of ducks in the reeds.

This Mallard mom was very protective of her brood as I walked through the marshes at Long Beach, WA a couple weeks ago.