Vernal pool season is around the corner!

There is still quite a bit of snow in the woods, but I decided to visit a couple of favorite vernal pools. One still had significant ice (6 inches or so), but at the edge of the second pool I found a very small open water area (like 8 cm x 15 cm). I took a few swipes at the mucky, leafy substrate and found some macroinvertebrates slowly swimming in the cold water. The coolest one was what looks like a small hellgrammite -- perhaps one centimeter in length. Looking forward to learning about the vernal pool activity this year in your part of New Hampshire.

Posted on March 13, 2021 10:41 PM by scrystall