Exploring Vernal Pools | What are they? | Herping Paradise

Exploring Vernal Pools | What are they? | Herping Paradise
Today Richard, from Wild and Growing, teaches you about vernal pools an amazing ecosystem hidden in the forest. A vernal pool is a small body of water that is only created from snowmelt and rain. There are no streams that fill or drain these pools, they are literally puddles!
Puddles, maybe, but puddles crammed with life. There is more biomass in a vernal pool than there is in the forest. This means that there are more organisms in a vernal pool that they outweigh the trees, deer, bear, and other organisms of the forest.
Each spring there is a great migration where thousands of amphibians from frogs to salamanders travel miles to breed in these pools. Vernal pools are amphibian's preferred breeding ground because they are safe from fish and other aquatic predators. However, vernal pools are not a haven, birds, larger amphibians, bugs, and other animals still hunt in these pools. Out of around 2,000 frog eggs that a single female frog lays only about 5 frogs will live to adulthood.
Other amazing creatures in vernal pools are fairy shrimp. That's right, shrimp are in your forests! These shrimp are freshwater shrimp that can lay dormant for centuries waiting for the right conditions.
Herpetologists love vernal pools because there is so much to discover. If you are going for a nature walk, we encourage you to stop at a pool and explore it a bit. We bet you'll find salamanders, frogs, aquatic bugs, amphibian eggs, and maybe even fairy shrimp!
Have you explored a vernal pool before? What did you find?
As always thank you for watching and supporting us!
Hannah & Richard
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[@MarilynRose]

Hi wild and Growing! God day! I enjoy watching your video. Am learning a lot from it. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge to us. Keep them coming my friend. Goodluck! God Bless! Stay safe!

[@WildandGrowing]

Thank you. I’m so glad you enjoyed it and learned something. Hope you are staying safe as well.

[@cherishingflo]

The analogy you used was a good one.

[@WildandGrowing]

Thanks! It’s so gelatinous 😂

[@robertcalamusso1603]

Usually gone by end of Spring.
☮️

[@WildandGrowing]

Yup!

[@calebophoff5021]

Salamanders

[@WannabeAlpinist]

Great video Richard, New Hampshire is really beautiful, thanks for sharing. Have you visited Colorado before? I film mountaineering and ice climbing videos out here. Keep at it!

[@WildandGrowing]

I have but Hannah has not. We’d really love to get out there and explore the mountains at some point. There are so many epic spots here too!

[@WannabeAlpinist]

@@WildandGrowing For sure, I need to visit the NE a little more, it has been a few years.

[@calebophoff5021]

How do you find centimeters