Discover the secret world of vernal pools

What is a vernal pool?

The wood frog has the northernmost range of any amphibian or reptile in North America. Relying on sugary “antifreeze” within its cells, much of the remaining liquid in its body can freeze solid in the winter. If you follow the chorus of a group of these “quacking” frogs in the spring, you’re likely to stumble upon a hidden world—a vernal pool.

So much more than a giant puddle

Though definitions vary, vernal pools are generally depressions that fill up with water at spring thaw (vernal meaning spring) and then, in most years, dry out over the course of spring and summer. In Vermont, vernal pools are almost always found in the forest. They are isolated from permanent bodies of water and do not contain fish, a feature important to many vernal pool species.

This brings us to the final defining characteristic of vernal pools—they contain species that are “specialists” to these ephemeral habitats, some entirely dependent upon the pools for survival.

How can I find a vernal pool?

Finding vernal pools is easiest in the spring and summer when they are filled with water.

You may find egg masses of wood frogs and salamanders, caddisfly larvae, and fairy shrimp, among other species that rely heavily on vernal pools.

At other times of the year identification can be harder. Look for depressions, typically without trees, with compressed leaf litter from the weight of standing water. Look also for high-water marks on trees around the edges of the pool.

You may be able to dig around and find signs of vernal pool species, such as the shells of fingernail clams or “cases” built by caddisfly larvae from pieces of leaves, needles, or whatever else may be at hand.

A race against time

The species that rely on vernal pools for part, or all, of their life cycle are in a race against time, and the imminent drying of the pool.

The frogs and salamanders that leave egg masses behind need the pool to remain for two or three months for their offspring to hatch, mature, and depart.

Fairy shrimp have an even shorter window of opportunity. Once these filter-feeding crustaceans get going they can reproduce several times in the pool, if time allows. But fairy shrimp cannot withstand warm water temperatures, and certainly not the drying of the pool. If all goes well, the fairy shrimp will lay eggs encased in a cyst, which can withstand drying out, freezing temperatures, and abrasion from getting blown about.

If you bring a shallow, light-colored tray out to a vernal pool and scoop up some water, you may be able to watch these otherworldly creatures swimming “upside down.”

Vernal pools are essential to our forest ecosystem

Not only do vernal pools contain a unique collection of species that add diversity to the woods, they are also inextricably linked to the surrounding woodland. The amount of living material (biomass) contained in all the salamanders in a forest can exceed the total biomass of all the birds, and in some forests, of all small mammals as well.

An essential link in the forest food chain

This biomass supports other pool species and those that live in the surrounding woods. A female wood frog will lay up to 1,500 eggs, of which 70 percent—whether in the form of egg, larvae, or frog—will enter the food chain in the first year.

The wood frogs and salamanders that disperse from the pool are highly dependent upon the surrounding woodland habitat. These amphibians are always at risk of drying out; they rely heavily on a damp forest floor and logs lying on the ground that act as sponges and moist oases. If they survive their overland travels, most will return to breed in the pool where they were born.