Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2022. With spring underway, it’s time to take a look at an ecosystem that only lasts for a short period of time called a vernal pool. These bodies ...

During the next couple of weeks, little pools of water in forested areas will be alive with the sounds of frogs. They’re gathering places for all kinds of critters who need these temporary shallow ...

You may walk by these watery oases each spring and never know the hundreds of lives inside—from tadpoles to fairy shrimp. Vernal pools fill with spring rain or melting snow and dry out by late summer.

A look at vernal pools, seasonal wetland ecosystems found in Delaware and Maryland. A panoramic voyage into vernal pools, unique and isolated seasonal wetlands found in Delaware, Maryland, and ...

On the forest road that winds through mature stands of hemlock and yellow birch on state game lands 206 in Luzerne County, my ...

Vernal pools are seasonal bodies of water that provide critical breeding habitat for amphibians and insects. These pools cycle through wet, flowering, and dry phases, supporting a diverse range of ...

Burne said state regulations require a 100-foot buffer around vernal pools, but salamanders are traveling 600 to 700 feet from the pools to find places to live outside of the breeding season. “Take a ...

Despite the vital role vernal pools play in woodland ecosystems, these temporary bodies of water and the many organisms that depend on them for survival may not be getting the protection they need.