Photo: Ralph Tiner
Photo: Ralph Tiner
Vernal Pools are seasonal (yearly) marshes that occur in depressions of land of all sizes from small puddles to shallow lakes. They are covered with ice and water from winter to spring and are dry during the summer and fall. During very dry years the vernal pools may not have any water at all. The bottom of the pools are made of bedrock or hard clay which keeps the water from leaking out. Creatures that live in or use vernal pools may include the spring peeper, eastern spotted newt, green frog, fairy shrimp and egrets, ducks and hawks.