Wetland Terms – L-M
- lake: a large inland body of salt or fresh water.
- landfill: a huge pit in the ground that is lined with clay or plastic and filled with garbage. Layers of garbage are spread out and alternated with layers of dirt or plastic.
- larva (plural, larvae): the immature stage of an organism that usually looks different from the adult form of the organism.
- latitude: the angular distance on Earth's surface north or south of the equator, expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds.
- leeches: an aquatic macroinvertebrate of the phylum Annelida, class Hirudinea; aquatic worms that do not have legs; tolerant of pollution.
- leopard frog: Rana pipiens. Found all over the United States; lives in scrub, desert, ponds, rivers, and meadows, but prefers swamps in the summer; brown or green with small spots on the side; usually 2–3.5 inches long.
- longitude: the angular distance on Earth's surface east or west of the prime meridian, expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds.
- macroinvertebrates: organisms without a backbone that are large enough to be seen with the unaided eye.
- marsh: an area of low-lying wetland; a swamp; a bog.
- mayfly: an aquatic macroinvertebrate of the order Ephemeroptera; larvae have three pairs of legs, one pair of antennae, three long tail filaments, and feathery or plate-like gills on their abdomen; sensitive to pollution.
- microbe: a microorganism; a minute life form.
- microorganism: an organism of microscopic size; especially a bacterium or protozoan.
- midge: an aquatic macroinvertebrate of the order Diptera; a true fly; larvae are very small, often C-shaped and have a spastic, squirming movement; they attach themselves to debris with tiny legs; larvae are tolerant of pollution.
- minute of latitude/longitude: a unit of measurement equal to 1/60 of a degree. One minute equals 60 seconds latitude or longitude.
- moisture content: amount of wetness.
- mollusk: a marine macroinvertebrate of the phylum Mollusca; a shellfish.
- moratorium: a delay of action; a suspension.
- musk thistle: Carduus nutans; an exotic invasive plant, originally from Asia and Europe, that grows in a clearing (meadow or field).
- multiflora rose: Rosa multiflora; an exotic invasive plant, originally from Japan, Korea, or Eastern China, that grows at the wood's edge and in swamp forest (intermittently flooded lowland forest).
- mullet: an edible fish of the family Mugilidae found worldwide in tropical and temperate coastal waters and some freshwater streams.
mussels: marine bivalve mollusks.