Vernal pools play an integral part in the function of our Franklin ecosystem and are commonly found throughout the entirety of the landscape. In fact, it is quite hard to travel around Town without being at most one mile away from a vernal pool. Many vernal pools are found in wooden areas near our homes, schools, and businesses; and can be found during the spring months by following the calls of spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) and wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). Keep reading for more vernal pool information and remember - due to the delicate nature of the vernal pool egg masses and wildlife, please do not contain, pick up, carry, or remove them. It is unlawful and causes undue harm and stress to the egg masses and animals.
What are Vernal Pools?
(excerpted from www.mass.gov)
Vernal pools are temporary bodies of fresh water that provide important habitat for many vertebrate and invertebrate species. "Vernal", meaning spring, are filled by spring rains and snowmelt, after which they dry during the summer months. Spring aside, many vernal pools are also filled by autumn rains (i.e, "autumnal pools") and persist throughout the winter. These autumnal pools are semi-permanent and do not dry every year.
Vernal pools are often very small and shallow; in fact, many vernal pools that support rich communities of vertebrate and invertebrate animals may measure only a few yards across! However, vernal pools of several acres also occur throughout Massachusetts.
Where are Vernal Pools found?
(excerpted from www.mass.gov)
Vernal pools are common throughout Massachusetts and occur in almost every town in the state. Vernal pools are found across the landscape where small woodland depressions, swales, or "kettle holes" collect spring runoff or intercept seasonally high groundwater tables. Although it's common to associate vernal pools with dry woodland areas, vernal pools also occur in meadows, river floodplains, interdunal swales, and large vegetated wetland complexes. Vernal pool habitat can occur where water is contained more than two months in the spring and summer of most years, and where no reproducing fish populations are present. Can you guess why this is?
Why Are Vernal Pools Valuable?
(excerpted from www.mass.gov)
Vernal pools constitute a unique and increasingly vulnerable type of wetland. Vernal pools are inhabited by many species of wildlife, some of which are totally dependent on vernal pools for their survival. Vernal pools do not support fish because they dry out annually or at least periodically. Some may contain water year round, but are free of fish as a result of significant drawdowns that result in extremely low dissolved oxygen levels. The wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) and the four local species of mole salamander (Ambystoma spp.) have evolved breeding strategies intolerant of fish predation on their eggs and larvae; the lack of established reproducing fish populations is essential to the breeding success of these species. Other amphibian species, including the American toad (Anaxyrus americanus), spring peeper (P. crucifer), and gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor), often exploit the fish-free waters of vernal pools but use a variety of different wetland types. Vernal pools also support rich and diverse invertebrate faunas. Some invertebrates, such as the fairy shrimp (Eubranchipus spp.), are also dependent upon vernal pools. Invertebrates are both important predators and prey in vernal pool ecosystems. Vernal pools are an important habitat resource for many birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, including many species listed under the MA Endangered Species Act (M.G.L c.131A).
The Vernal Pool Boundary
(excerpted from www.mass.gov)
The shallow edges of vernal pool habitat represent one of the most ecologically valuable portions of these habitats. These areas are generally the first to thaw in the spring and provide access to the pool for the earliest breeding species. These shallow water zones also tend to be significantly warmer than the deeper portions of a vernal pool throughout the spring. Egg masses of early breeding amphibians benefit from the warmer water temperatures at the pool edges that promote rapid egg development.
For more information on Vernal Pools, please see here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/guidelines-for-the-certification-of-vernal-pool-habitat/download
To report a Vernal Pool near you, please contact the Conservation Agent via email at bgoodlander@franklinma.gov or via phone at (508) 520-4847.
