Productive Vernal Pools
Have you ever wondered what might be hiding just beneath the water’s surface in these temporary pools that crop up in early spring? This little clip reveals a productive vernal pool that has a number of spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) egg masses nestled within the leaf litter of the pool floor. These pools are an important breeding area for several amphibian species, as you can see, because they provide a safe fish-less environment for the eggs and eventual tadpoles to...
Read MoreMale Competition
The Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) is another early spring breeding amphibian common to our region. These explosive breeders utilize vernal pools, just like spotted salamanders, and their breeding activities are squeezed into just a few days. As the frogs enter the pools, males will take up their positions floating at the surface of the pool croaking their characteristic call. While they are calling, they will often joust with one another, especially if a female is nearby. These two males had a bit of a tousle, but both went on to call in another spot ready for females to come their way. Elyse...
Read MoreSpring Migrations Have Begun!
So I’ve got a bit of a funny story for you and it goes a little something like this: last Thursday night, as we suspected, warm overnight rains began to draw spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer), and other amphibians out from their winter refuges. They began their journeys to nearby vernal pools, but some of them took detours in the process. My husband Tyler and I were house and pet sitting for my parents while they were on vacation. Behind their home is a series of ponds that make up a beautiful wetland system, and vernal pools are abundant...
Read MoreCould Tonight be the Night?!
Tonight’s conditions are looking promising for amphibian migrations to begin as overnight temperatures will be above 40°F and rain is on it’s way. While humans don’t like to be out much during rainy nights, salamanders and frogs use these evenings to migrate in mass to their vernal breeding pools. With that said, be on the lookout for these special species whether you are hiking or driving and give them plenty of space as they make their way from their wooded hiding places to their watery breeding grounds.
Read MoreVernal Pools Poking Through
Last weekend as we were out surveying for HWA in Dobbin’s Woods, a beautiful Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy property, we came across several little pools beginning to form in the depressions of the landscape as the snow increasingly melts back. While these pools aren’t too attractive for us to throw our beach chair next to, they are extremely important to a number of amphibian species. In the upcoming weeks these small pools will serve as little nurseries for salamander and frog offspring to safely develop from egg-y masses to free swimming larvae to land conquering tetrapods....
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