Vernal Pool Monitoring
Photo: H. LeStrange
Vernal pools are shallow depressions in the forest floor that hold water in winter and early spring. Certain salamanders, wood frogs, and fairy shrimp come out of winter hibernation and seek out these pools as places safe from predators where they can lay their eggs. Because salamanders and many other amphibians are imperiled by habitat loss, it is important to track their populations. JRMN volunteers visit vernal pools in Powhatan State Park weekly between late February and late April to count the egg masses of marbled salamanders and look for the larvae of spotted salamanders and other indicator species. Observations are entered into an online database that is maintained by the Vernal Pool Cooperative of Virginia.
Photo: H. LeStrange
For most of the year, marbled salamanders like the one above live underground or in the forest leaf litter where they hunt earthworms, snails, crickets, and other invertebrates. But for breeding, they must seek out aquatic environments.
Photo: C. Heiser
Photo:
With the surface of the still pool reflecting the sky and trees like a mirror, it isn't easy to spot egg masses. They may be partially or fully submerged, often anchored by half-sunken twigs.
. Photos: H. LeStrange.
Photo: H. LeStrange
Each mass of eggs suspended in sparkling gel is a watery jewel, the promise of a new generation of creatures most people never see.
Photo: ?