Dan McCulloughIt’s vernal pool season!
Turn up the VOLUME and enjoy the quacking of ducks, errr, I mean Wood Frogs!
Derek Price
Vanessa Rojas@danmccullough always an exciting time! I’m hoping warmer temps and rain next few days will kickstart everyone here soon. Been cold, dry, and quiet. I’ve been keep track each year for labs and it’s still a bit early for us. Usually second week of April is the start. Enjoy!
@chiroptera We usually get the frogs in late March. Fairy Shrimp in the 2nd week of April. Salamander Eggs about the same time (though I don’t think this particular vp has them). We should have a little rain every day for the next week so that’s good news! Good luck!
Idzie@danmccullough I love wood frogs. And a couple of weeks ago I was listening to a bunch of ducks out on the water (common goldeneyes) thinking that they sounded like frogs! 😆
@idzie Ha! That’s a good way to think of it. Quackers come in many different forms. 😅
clewI would never have guessed frogs!
Are these pools because impermeable rock not very deep? Or…?
@clew These pools form in late winter when snow melts and rain collects. Like big puddles. Since they are not connected to streams or other providers of water, they begin drying up in warmer temperatures. Everything that is hatched in the water (like the frogs) have a limited time before it completely dries up!
Why does the water stay on the surface instead of soaking into the groundwater though?
@clew Vernal pools can be deceptively deep. And their bottoms are packed with layers and layers of decomposing leaves and detritus. So it’s like a pool lining. Nearly all water lost is through evaporation. At least that’s my understanding.
This makes little sense to me because the totally humic souls of the Olympic Peninsula rainforest *dont* gather pools; the water soaks in. So much water. IME it’s fine clay that seals an unlined made pool, eventually, sort of.
The California vernal pools are over a naturally concretized hardpan.
Frost layer, where you are???
@clew This might provide some helpful info.