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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
A tiny sea turtle hatchling with ridges along it's back crawling on wet sand towards the ocean

Summer Sights

Updated September 28, 2026

Things to see when the day is long at national wildlife refuges

The sun is high. The day is long. You can feel the heat build hour by hour. But if you think nature is dormant at national wildlife refuges because animals are stuck in the summer doldrums, think again.

On land, in the air and in the water, life is astir on refuges. You just need to know where to look. Sea turtles are nesting. Tule elk are bugling. Dragonflies are staging crazy aerial displays. Osprey chicks are hatching. Salmon are swimming upstream in a rush to spawn. Monarch butterflies are fueling up before it’s time to migrate. Here’s just a taste of what you can see and where this summer on national wildlife refuges.

Nesting turtles

It’s sea turtle nesting season at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge in Florida and other Southeast coastal refuges. 

A tiny loggerhead turtle hatchling crawls across the sand at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
A loggerhead turtle hatchling crawls across the sand at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina.

Water ballet

In early summer, western grebes water skate at Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota and Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. 

Two birds called Western grebes water skate together, in a mating ritual called rushing, at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
A pair of Western grebes water skate together, in a mating ritual called rushing, at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

Dragonflies

Mid-summer is peak dragonfly-viewing season in much of the country. Learn more about Dragonfly Spotting on Refuges.

A long-bodied orange insect called a ruby meadowhawk dragonfly rests on a plant at Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota.
A ruby meadowhawk dragonfly rests on bulrush at Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota.

Elk bugling

Tule elk rut and bugling peak in August at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and other sites in California.

A herd of antlered mammals called Tule elk at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in California.
A herd of Tule elk at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in California.

Osprey chicks

Ospreys hatch in June at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland and other Northeast sites. 

An adult osprey, a large fish-eating bird of prey, feeds hungry osprey chicks in the nest.
An adult osprey feeds hungry osprey chicks in the nest.

Wood ducklings

Wood duck broods try out their swimming strokes in the Midwest.

An adult wood duck swims with its brood of ducklings at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge.
An adult wood duck swims with its brood of ducklings at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan.

Salmon run

Salmon swim upstream in summer to spawn in Alaska rivers and streams. At Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, anglers along the Russian River eagerly await the sockeye run in June and July. At Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, salmon runs attract brown bears.

Two bright red fish --sockeye salmon -- swim in a stream surrounded by mountains at Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
Sockeye salmon swim in a stream at Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

Monarch season

Monarch butterflies abound in summer at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa and many other refuges. Monarchs that hatch in late summer will migrate to wintering grounds in Mexico. 

A monarch butterfly sips nectar from a swamp milkweed flower

Teal time

In August, blue-winged and green-winged teal begin to arrive from the north at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and other Southern sites. 

A duck with a green band on its wings (called a green-winged teal) flies over water at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming.
A green-winged teal flies over water at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming.

Wetland birds

The wetlands at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas attract large numbers of herons and egrets in summer. 

Blue Heron wading water

Gator holes

In June, alligators build nests at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Eggs hatch in August.

An American alligator, with a powerful scaled body and a long tail, lies on a mudbank at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Florida and Georgia.
An American alligator lies on a mudbank at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia and Florida.

Spotlight on moths

“Moth nights” at Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and other refuges highlight the remarkable diversity of these under-appreciated insects. 

A polyphemus moth shows off its distinctive brown, blue and white coloring in the Midwest in summer.
A polyphemus moth in the Midwest in summer.

 

Summer on Refuges

Natural phenomena aren’t the only reasons to look at national wildlife refuges in summer.

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