Last month’s post on vernal pools was very popular. As a follow up I gathered together links to website articles and downloadable pdfs on identifying vernal pools by their plant and animal indicator species.
An indicator species is a plant or animal (or a group of plant or animals) whose presence or function, can indicate a specific type of ecosystem. The presence of an indicator species may show the health (negative or positive) of the ecosystem.
In the case of vernal pools, certain physical features define a vernal pool. A vernal pool is defined as:
- the pool exists temporarily
- there is an absence of fish
The presence of certain species of salamanders or frogs in combination with physical features indicates a vernal pool ecosystem. If those certain species of animals or plants are often present in a vernal pool, then those animals or plants are called “indicator species”.
Indicator species of an ecosystem can differ from region to region. An indicator of a vernal pool in New Hampshire probably aren’t the same species as a vernal pool in Texas.
Some regions of North America may not have an abundance of vernal pool ecosystems. Vernal pools seem prevalent in the Pacific Northwest, California, Texas, the Northeast, and MidAtlantic regions.
If you know that your region has vernal pools but can’t find readily available Internet information, there is a citizen science, homeschool or scout project right there.
If you would like to find indicator species for vernal pools, search the Internet for search terms similar to these.
“vernal pool indicator species”, “vernal pool plants”, “vernal pool ecology”.
Include your state or region in the search term.
I have included links to webpages with vernal pool indicator species information or sometimes the only information I could find on vernal pools for a specific region.
The Northeast (covering Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts)
Field ID Cards for Vernal Pool Indicator Species Cards for the Northeast
http://www.vernalpools.me/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Field-ID-Cards-for-Northeast-Vernal-Pool-Indicator-Species.pdf
Vernal Pool Habitats Around Maine
https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wetlands/vernal-pools.htm
Maine: Indicator Species for Vernal Pools
http://www.vernalpools.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/6_Eggmassidentification.pdf
Vernal Pool Indicator Species
https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wetlands/vernal-pools.htm
New Hampshire Vernal Pool Indicator Species
https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wetlands/documents/vernalpoolkey-legal.pdf
New York State Vernal Pool Mapper
http://people.hws.edu/cosentino/vernal.html
MidAtlantic (covering Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC)
An Introduction to Mid-Atlantic Seasonal Pools
http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/dplap/information/Documents/Mid-Atlantic%20Seasonal%20Ponds%20-%20EPA.pdf
Vernal Pools Animals for Pennsylvania
http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/vernalpool_animal.aspx
Vernal Pool Vegetation for Pennsylvania
http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/VernalPool_Vegetation.aspx
The Southeast
I couldn’t find any internet resources on vernal pools in the southeast. I saw mentions of vernal pools in Georgia, but nothing on vernal pools specifically. It may be the vernal pools are rare or nonexistent in the southeast of the United States.
Mid-West
Kalamazoo Vernal Pool Monitoring Workshop (April 6, 2019)
https://naturecenter.org/Programs/Register-for-a-Program/Vernal-Pool-Monitoring
The Northwest
Vernal Pool Flora of the Pacific Northwest
https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2018/03/Alverson_Vernal_Pool_Flora_PNW_03.21.2018.pdf
The West
Panhandler Playa Lakes
https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/habitats/high_plains/wetlands/playa.phtml
Playa Lakes
https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/playa-lakes
Ecological Communities of Playa Lakes
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs143_013018.pdf
California’s Vernal Pools
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/plants/vernal-pools
California Vernal Pools
https://www.vernalpools.org/
City of San Diego Vernal Pool Habitat Conservation Plan – October 2017
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/vphcp_final_2kf.pdf
Books on Vernal Pools
Here are some books on vernal pools available on Amazon.com
For kids
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For Adults – most of these books are college texts.
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