Here's the basic scoop (italics) from the Ohio Environmental Council's Website:
Vernal pools are dynamic, seasonal wetlands that dot Ohio’s natural landscape. Vernal pools fill up annually but typically dry out during some part of the year. These small wetlands fill with spring rain and snow melt, blossom with life, and host a cacophony of sounds and a plethora of life forms every spring, only to disappear into the forest floor every autumn.
With some true nature lover friends we visited two areas of vernal pools - Sawmill Wetlands and Gahanna State Nature Preserve.
Below is one of the many vernal pool at Gahanna Woods. While it proved to be still a bit too early to hear the singing of Spring Peepers or witness the activity of the salamanders we'd hoped to see we still had a great time and plan to get out again soon and often to witness the annual awakening of these magical places!
*Update 3/11 - The chorus frogs started singing yesterday! A few spring peepers offered up their calls, but the western chorus frogs were definitely dominant. The eastern bluebirds sang up quite the song and flitted in and out of the nest boxes all day. Spring is coming...
IM so happy to see spring arrive with the blue skies n warm days...its been a gloomy winter here!
ReplyDeleteYay for frogs! I love hearing all the birds chirping in the morning:)
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting that you're hearing frogs already. I haven't heard a peep in the Fort Wayne area. We have had Woodcocks for about a week now.
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