Vernal Pools

Rutgers Naturalists offered a trip to visit vernal pools this spring. Vernal pools (I learned on my trip) are bodies of water that are dry at some point in the year, and/or have no fish. Amphibians use them to reproduce, and if you trudge around in them during the spring and summer, you’ll find frogs and salamanders. We visited some pools before sunset, and while there were no visible amphibians, wading through the water we found mucus-like sacs containing 50+ eggs of frogs and salamanders. We went to another pool, and found it full of frogs so intent on mating they barely jumped out of our way as we walked in. The smallest frog (not captured in photos) was the loudest. See all the photos, including me holding a partial deer skeleton.