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What does a vernal pool look like?
A vernal pool is a shallow pool in the ground level.

What are vernal pools used for?
A vernal pool is used so that amphibians and reptiles can reproduce. Without vernal pools these amphibians and reptiles will later become extinct due to the shortage of vernal pools. Vernal pools are also known as vanishing habitats since they become dried up in the summer time.


<< To the left is a picture of a vernal pool that is found in the woods. Vernal pools can be found in various areas. Some people just think that they are just puddles that mean nothing, but they are wrong.

Vernus
The vernal pool got its name from the Latin word, "vernus" meaning "belonging to the spring".

Downingia Plants of the Vernal Pools
Vernal pools not only provide animals shelter where they can lay their eggs. They also grow certain plants that can only be found around vernal pool areas. Some of these plants are common and some are rare.
Burke's Goldfield
To the left is a picture of a common vernal pool flower called the downingia.

To the right is a picture of Burke's Goldfield. It is a flower that can be seen near a vernal pool. This is one of the rare species found near the vernal pool.

Tiger Salamander
The tiger salamander is an organism that uses the vernal pool to reproduce. They are known for its pattern of how it is very similiar to a tiger's pattern. That is how they got their name. Tiger salamander are one of the animals that are found on the endangered species list. Due to the shortage of vernal pool that they can use to reproduce. At the bottom of this text is a picture of a tiger salamander. Notice how the color and patterns of the salamanders skin is very similiar to a common tiger that can be found is Asia.

ANiMALS THAT USES VERNAL POOLS
           
....FROGS.........SALAMANDERS............TURTLES


The Vernal Pool's Fairy
Did you know that there is an organism that lives inside the vernal pool that is known to be very magical? These fairy shrimp are found in almost every vernal pool! They seem to be swimming around minding it's own business until it dies from when the vernal pool dries up in the summer. But before the female fairy shrimp die, they leave behind eggs that will carry on living in the same vernal pools. The eggs  remain dormant through winter, autumn and summer until spring comes, where it rains the most. When an animal seems to have eaten an egg, they won't digest themn very easily. So when they leave the eggs in their droppings that is how the fairy shrimp seems to get from one vernal pool to another!

Below is a story of Tinsy & Yoko who were fairy shrimp also!

nce upon a time...
there was a vernal pool. Inside this vernal pool was a Fairy. Not just any old fairy, but a fairy shrimp! This fairy shrimp's name is Tinsy. It swam around the pool until the day comes for the vernal pool to dry up. But before the vernal pool dried up, Tinsy laid an egg and named it Yoko. Tinsy died from the vernal pool drying up but Yoko, still in it's eggshell, survived and laid dormant. Winter and fall passed by and Yoko still remained dormant. But when summer came and fox was in desperate need of food and spotted the egg. It ate Yoko. The fox traveled from one place to another while Yoko went through the digestive system. When Yoko was finally out of the foxes digestive system Yoko was once again revealed to the outside world. When spring came, rain started to pour. A puddle started to form around Yoko. Days later, Yoko hatched! Then Yoko started to live the life of a fairy shrimp.
The End