All the rain we’ve received recently has filled up the vernal pools in our region! What’s a vernal pool, you ask? Let’s dive in and find out!
Vernal pools are temporary wetlands that fill up with winter rains. The pools have a layer of hardpan in the soil that prevents the water from soaking through. So, the water stays perched atop the hardpan and is visible in the shallow vernal pool depressions.
Vernal pools in California are renowned for unique plants and animals that call them home. The pools go through three phases: wet phase, flower phase, and dry phase. During the wet phase, the vernal pools are teeming with tiny aquatic invertebrates, such as fairy shrimp, and dozens more! Before the pools dry up each year, these tiny critters lay eggs that can survive the hot dry phase and then hatch the following year when the pools fill up with water again!
As the pools dry up, they fill with a kaleidoscope of colors during the flower phase! The tiny flowers only have a few weeks to get pollinated by native solitary bees and other insects. Once fertilized, the flowers hastily disperse their seeds as the vernal pools enter the dry phase. Many of these plants and animals are only found in vernal pools and are threatened or endangered species!
Splash leads field trips and tours around the vernal pool preserve at Mather Field. You can also see vernal pools in the open grasslands of Elk Grove; Phoenix Park, near Fair Oaks; and the Howard Ranch at Rancho Seco Park. To learn more, visit our webpage on Vernal Pools (www.sacsplash.org/learning-resource/vernal-pool/) and explore our entire Sacramento Splash website (www.sacsplash.org). See you at the pools!
