Big puddle or little lake?

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Howard, Morgan. Big Twin Lake boat launch, vernal pool. 17 May. 2023.

Neither. It's a vernal pool. 

Right along the boat launch of Big Twin Lake, we shoved ourselves into waders that weren't anywhere close to our sizes. With excitement filling our spirits, and water filling my boots, we began our collecting. 

Vernal pools translate to "spring pools", which suggests the time of year that you can find these small bodies of water. Because of the time frame pushed against the filling and draining of these patches, it's good for researchers and people looking for something interesting to do, to head out and see the creatures beginning their life cycle. You can discover different stages of life that each individual may be in at that time.

Something caught my eye as soon as I put my net into the water and scooped up what felt like tons of pounds. The excitement of catching something took over the actual reality that I was holding a decent-sized creature, that I didn't know. With assistance from my professor, we (mostly him) came to the conclusion that it was a dragonfly nymph. What so many of us are so eager to see in nature starts their life by looking terrifying. Seriously, brace yourself.

Howard, Morgan. Dragonfly nymph collected from Big Twin Lake boat launch, vernal pool. 17 May, 2023.

About the size of a quarter, these guys can range in how long they stay in their nymph stage. From egg to adult, the process can be up to three years! This is from the nymph stage being 1-2 years long at times and the adults only live for a week to eight weeks. 

Spring is the time of the year were new life is emerging. Around the area of a vernal pool, you will see much more than just aquatic species. During our trip we saw and heard many bird species; mourning doves, blue jays, common grackles, and phoebes. While sitting along the tree line looking over the water, I saw many different species of spiders, some that thought I was a comfortable place to sit. A few frogs appeared and then sank back into the water. 

Other creatures that we didn't have the chance to see that could have possibly been in the vernal pool too are salamander species, other frogs or toads, and some water snakes. Vernal pools in this condition are responsible for a huge group of species belonging to wildlife. 

An interesting thought to wrap your mind around is the concept of how important vernal pools are. Because of their ability to have no inlet or outlet, these water bodies hold nutrients that are crucial to new life. These ephemeral pools hold melted snow from the winter and rain from the spring. During the warmer months, these pools start to dry up and become almost empty or complete. This can be a ticking timer for larvae and nymphs that call this pool home. These small fellows must have just enough growth time to reach their next stage to move onto land and not have to rely on water. Vernal pools are responsible for species like dragonflies, damselflies, water striders, diving beetles, and so much more. 

Before these critters enter these phases of life they must first be conceived like everything else, Because of the high abundance of species that were previously mentioned, it concludes that this vernal pool was an excellent breeding ground for these invertebrates. This is done so well by the concept that they serve their purposes away from other bodies of water. This allows these larvae to thrive without worrying about predation from fish and other aquatic predators. It also serves good breeding ground based on the area being dried up for a long period of time. 

Vernal pools are important to not just the species living within but the species that care for them. We can put in our efforts to preserve and keep these pools sustainable for the animals that call them home. Forest biologists, insect ecologists, and so many others can make and enforce plans that will preserve vernal pools for the next season. The Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, a program of the Wildlife Conservation Society, published a paper with different concepts surrounding the informative side of vernal pools. If you have a slight interest in these small bodies of water take a quick minute to read! 


References

Calhoun, A. J. K. and P. deMaynadier. 2004. Forestry habitat management guidelines for vernal pool wildlife.
MCA Technical Paper No. 6, Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York. http://www.vernalpools.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Forestry-Habitat-Management-Guidelines-for-Vernal-Pool-Wildl.pdf. 

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