Spring is stirring beneath our feet! 🌧️ Vernal pools, those seasonal, water-filled depressions, are teeming with life once again. These small, often overlooked wetlands are essential nurseries for species like wood frogs 🐸 and salamanders, whose lifecycles depend on these temporary habitats. Our ecology team recently visited some vernal pools and shared their thoughts on these amazing micro-habitats. Vernal pools do not have any tributary streams, so all their water comes from the spring melts, and they typically disappear as the year goes by and the water evaporates. Since they are so fleeting, vernal pools will not support any fish species. Because of this, they are the home to many species of amphibians, reptiles, insects, and even crustaceans that rely on this aquatic landscape to live without fear of fish predators. Where do they go when the pool dries up? Obligate species rely on vernal pools for breeding in the spring, but each one has different strategies for survival throughout the rest of the year. Vernal pools are an oasis of biodiversity in the landscape, and very important to the survival of many small aquatic and semi-aquatic species. So next time you hear the quacks and cries of the wood frogs and spring peepers, you'll know all about the special ecosystem that they live in! 📷: Wood Frogs near a vernal pool in Pelham Hills #TheTrustees #Ecology #VernalPools #WoodFrogs #SpecialPlaces #ExploreOutdoors #Outdoors #Nature #Accessibility [Description: A photo of two Wood Frogs seen near a vernal pool in Pelham, MA.]
