About Vernal Pools

• A vernal pool is a form of temporary, freshwater wetland that contains water for a portion of the year and supports a fantastic array of wildlife and plants, some specially adapted for these habitats and many being rare species in Virginia. Vernal pools are often found in the floodplain of a stream, in seasonally-flooded woodlands, as sinkhole ponds, or where rainwater and snow collect in forest depressions.

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• Vernal pools typically dry up in the summer time and fill up with rainwater during the fall and winter. Drying of the pool prevents fish from being predators on the pool’s amphibians and other dependent wildlife.

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• Vernal pool wetlands are distinguished by the presence of certain indicator species of wildlife know as “obligates.” The vernal pool obligates in Virginia are the Spotted Salamander, Marbled Salamander, Wood Frog, Jefferson Salamander, Mole Salamander, Mabee’s Salamander, Tiger Salamander, and several species of Fairy Shrimp (small, short-lived crustaceans). The breeding presence of any of these obligates can be used to verify a true vernal pool habitat.

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• Virginia’s vernal pool obligates include one Endangered Species (Tiger), one Threatened Species (Mabee’s), and a number of rare, Special Concern animals (Mole salamander and Fairy Shrimp). Vernal pools also support some of the state’s rarest wetland plants.

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• Vernal pools have become a rare form of wildlife habitat around the country and especially in Virginia due to their destruction (being filled in, drained, logged over, or polluted). They have often been overlooked and considered insignificant due to their small size as wetlands. Conservation efforts for these habitats are desperately needed.