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Vernal Pools
Description
In the winter and spring, runoff accumulates in shallow depressions where it forms short-lived pools. The water is clear and shallow. There is often a thin layer of old leaves and muck over the mineral soil or bedrock.
Vernal pools usually have no vascular plants and few algae.
Selected Plants
Drying vernal pool in early summer
Herbs
- Lemna minor (Duckweed)
- Carex stricta (Tussock sedge)
Occurrence
Vernal pools are scattered through the forest. They occur in shallow depressions at all elevations. The most easily found is along Swamp Trail, south of Mount Misery. Listen for the calls of the frogs. March and April are the best times to view the pools.
Ecology
Vernal pools dry up quickly in the summer, but they are important habitats for frogs and salamanders. Many amphibians lay their eggs in vernal pools, where they are protected from predation.
Also Called
- Reschke (1990): Vernal pool
Selected References
Vernal pool in winter
For general references see the reference page.
- Cheater, M. 2000. When Is a Pool Not a Pool? Washington, DC.: National Wildlife Federation.
- Davner, A. 1988. Spring Pools. Boston: New England Aquarium.
- Massachusetts Audubon Society. 1995. Pond Watchers Guide to Ponds and Vernal Pools of Eastern North America. Lincoln, MA: Massachusetts Audubon Society
- Tiner, R.W. 1998. In Search of Swampland. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Photos: Kerry Barringer