These nature preserves and historic sites — all just a short drive away — offer a rare escape from the noise of suburbia.

From the floodplain forests of the upper Mississippi River to the long coast of Lake Michigan, Wisconsin is rich in wetlands.

Joshua Carter Belleville News-Democrat A dragonfly perches on a fallen twig ... Joshua Carter Belleville News-Democrat Wild cattails provide an excellent source of birdwatching at Silver Creek ...

Today, roughly 32,000 acres of open water and cattail marsh are co-owned and managed ... known population of the rare Hine's emerald dragonfly, which was believed extinct until it was rediscovered ...

Welcome to the Marsh Boardwalk at Point Pelee National Park — a truly underrated gem where you can lose yourself (in the best way possible) among cattails ... the shimmer of dragonflies, or the call ...

Photo credit: Elaine J Standing on these boardwalks, surrounded by cattails and serenaded by red-winged blackbirds ... of adventure through wetlands where frogs conduct symphonies and dragonflies ...