Blanding’s turtles are relatively small (usually less than 10 in. long) with a domed shell and are identified by their yellow throat and chin, which make them look like they are smiling. Blanding's turtles nest in sandy uplands and rely on shallow, calm wetlands for the aquatic plants and insects they eat. The habitat they need is disappearing, and they are designated as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in both Wisconsin and Illinois. 

Throughout Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, both public and private lands are home to several species including the bald eagle. Bald eagles prefer habitats featuring open water and an abundance of fish; they use the Fox River and nearby Chain 'O" Lakes area during spring and fall.

The American tamarack tree is found on Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge. It has been known by different names to different people over the centuries including eastern larch, American larch, black larch, takmahak, and hackmatack. It is from this tree the refuge gets its name; "Hackmatack" is a Native American word for the tamarack.

Tallgrass prairies, along with oak savanna, are among the most decimated and threatened natural communities in the Midwest and the world. The prairie grasslands in Wisconsin are comprised of the tallgrass prairie that was intermixed with oak savanna. The Illinois portion of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge historically consisted of wetlands, oak savanna, woodlands, and prairie. Today, with the exception of lands in the existing conservation estate, only small, often isolated pockets of these habitats exist on the refuge along with sculpted remnants of moraines, kames, kettle marshes, and bogs from its glacial past.