Vernal Pool Field Trip this Saturday, March 29

It’s challenging to predict when frogs will become active and salamanders will begin migrating from the forest to a vernal pool to reproduce. With the weather warming, the wood frogs and peepers should be active this week, and maybe a spotted salamander if the forest floor remains damp. Saturday looks like the best chance right now with the weather warming this weekend.

Vernal pools are shallow depressions in the ground that usually fill with water for only part of the year. Melting snow and spring rains fill the holes with water, creating an essential breeding habitat for specific species of frogs and salamanders. These amphibians leave their winter hibernation in the woodlands, find a vernal pool, mate, and lay their eggs in the water, leaving their young to hatch and grow in the pool. As the seasonal rains dry up, so do the vernal pools, sending the new generation of amphibians into the forest until their next breeding cycle.

Amphibians such as wood frogs, spring peepers, toads, spotted salamanders, and other woodland salamanders are popular residents in our local vernal pools. Their egg masses suspended in the water may be visible, too, with the baby salamander efts or tiniest tadpoles writhing inside. With 700 species in the Northeast relying on vernal pools, the loss of pools due to development is of major concern, and preserving the few that remain is critical. With fewer pools, we see a decrease in biodiversity and a decline in the amount of food available for other animals that live in these areas, such as small carnivores.

• Our meeting location can be found in your registration confirmation email when payment is complete.
• Mandatory – Bring a headlamp or flashlight.
• Dress according to the weather.
• Shoe/boot disinfectant protocol is required. A 10% bleach solution will be available for use on your shoes in the parking lot. No open-toed shoes.
• We need to limit our impact on the area. With water levels low in the pools, participants will not be able to enter the water.  There should be frogs available for viewing along the trails and also those netted by our trip volunteers will be easy to view.
• No pets, please.

Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. No refunds due to cancellations.

For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.