P E N N S Y L V A N I A W I L D L I F E Vernal Ponds: Seasonal Habitats for Wildlife

collects water part of the year. Red maple, What to Look For highbush blueberry, and buttonbush are ave you ever walked all common at these locations. through the woods in It’s easy to recognize vernal ponds in the springH and found an immense late winter and early spring. Named from puddle that wasn’t there over the vernalis, the Latin word for spring, vernal Vernal ponds themselves are generally less winter? You may have discovered ponds are formed seasonally in shallow than 40 yards in diameter and no more one of the most ecologically ground depressions from spring snowmelt, than 4 feet deep, although they receive important habitats to be found precipitation, and rising water tables. water from a larger surrounding landscape. among Pennsylvania’s woodlands. Generally drying up in late summer, these Much of the topography that makes Vernal ponds are temporary Pennsylvania’s vernal ponds possible wetlands that fill after the snow- ponds are only temporary woodland reser- fall each spring. They become the voirs. They are slightly harder to identify was first formed during the last glacial seasonal breeding and feeding during the summer and fall months; period and is the result of 10,000 years of grounds for many intriguing however, there are several clues to look irreplaceable geologic history. amphibians and insects, as well as for. Blackened, compressed leaf litter; the reptiles, birds, and mammals gray soil; watermarks on surrounding tree that depend on them for food. You trunks; and the presence of moisture-tol- may have been led to this pond by Ecological Importance the unmistakable sounds of spring erant vegetation all suggest an area that If a vernal pond’s physical features don’t peepers and wood frogs calling for a mate. tip you off, the wildlife living there will If you crouch by the water’s edge, certainly give away its location. Vernal you’ll find an entire community of ponds are home for a diversity of animals creatures. You might witness the that count on them for the spring bustling activity of salamanders, breeding season. frogs, toads, and newts that have come to breed, as well as all kinds The seasonal nature of vernal ponds of aquatic insects and their eggs that Sidelinger John by Illustration will develop over the spring months. means that they are uninhabited by Jellylike masses and strings of eggs fish. This makes them the perfect habitat will be visible in the water and on for a variety of amphibians and inver- the pond vegetation, where sala- tebrates to breed and develop with less manders and frogs have left them chance of predation. Species like mole behind. salamanders, wood frogs, and fairy shrimp Vernal ponds are extraordinary wetlands fascinating to observe and Spring peeper essential to the lives of many wood- land species. With the rapid popula- tion declines of so many amphibian species, it’s crucial that these often unnoticed habitats be recognized and protected. 2 depend exclusively on vernal ponds for life cycles. The huge number of organisms this part of their life cycles. Often a pond using vernal ponds each year shows how is the ancestral home of an amphibian essential they are to the life cycles of forest community that resides nearby in the species both in and out of the ponds. In forest each winter, then migrates to the fact, the amphibian species developing same pond each spring to lay its eggs. in ponds alone generally amount to more vertebrate biomass than the mass of all the The first creatures to arrive each season birds and mammals in a forest. The ability are Jefferson salamanders, members of the Dragonfly of vernal ponds to continue supporting mole salamander group that spend most this biodiversity remains dependent on of their lives in underground burrows. On the activities occurring around them. rainy nights from mid-January to early

March, Jefferson salamanders travel an Mathison Jeffery by Illustration often snowy forest floor to reach their Protecting Your Vernal Pond chosen vernal pond. Here, they mate that have emerged from their eggs at and lay a long string of beadlike eggs on the same time. Fairy shrimp, dragonflies, If you think your property contains a branches and other vegetation submerged damselflies, caddisflies, mosquitoes, vernal pond, you can do a lot to protect in the pond. The next mole salamanders daphnia, and other invertebrates drop egg it from potentially harmful effects of to arrive are spotted salamanders, which cases in vernal ponds each year. land use. The key is to protect both the migrate in late February to early April to stability of the forest and the hydrology lay their eggs on pond vegetation. The egg cases lie dormant over winter of the pond. For instance, amphibian and hatch the following spring. While species depend on forests for their adult During the same period, wood frogs amphibian larvae feast on these delights, lives and on ponds for breeding and the make their trek to the ponds. Finding insect predators like fishflies, diving development of young. This is especially this species in its breeding season is a beetles, and backswimmers also look for important because this kind of unique guarantee that you have found a vernal amphibian larvae to feed upon. wetland has failed to be successfully pond—and wood frogs noisily make replicated through artificial means in their presence known. Male wood frogs As activity inside the pond increases each Pennsylvania’s forests. Surrounding land attract females with a loud, distinctive spring, it attracts other animals to the that may be used for recreation, timber call that sounds like the quacking of vernal community. Some turtle species harvesting, or residential structures can be ducks. Often an entire chorus of this visit the ponds to feed on egg masses, managed in ways that keep the impact on species can be heard from afar, and you while snakes and raccoons may feed on vernal ponds to a minimum. can easily follow the sound until you tadpoles and frogs. Birds like the green find the pond. heron and red-shouldered hawk also visit ■ Avoid using chemicals and ponds to feed. fertilizers. Many other species use vernal ponds in Vernal ponds accumulate runoff water spring. The spring peeper, Pennsylvania’s By late spring or early summer, tens of from surrounding upland areas. Even a smallest frog species, has one of the thousands of young salamanders and frogs minimal amount of pesticide, herbicide, animal kingdom’s loudest voices for its that have undergone metamorphosis leave or fertilizer can upset the food chain and size. Choruses of its high-pitched, birdlike the pond for the forest to continue their cause deadly results in a water body as peeps can sound like sleigh bells from small as a vernal pond. a distance. American toads, spadefoot ■ Maintain forest canopy. toads, gray tree frogs, green frogs, and The forest canopy provides essential shade red-spotted newts are among the many for regulating pond temperatures, and other creatures that may come to breed. slows the loss of water from the pond by By the end of the breeding season, ponds evapotranspiration. In addition, the forest are filled with egg clusters that appear as canopy helps to maintain a cool, moist jellylike masses containing small, round environment in the surrounding forest, a eggs. Rae Chambers by Illustration necessity for many amphibians.

As young amphibian larvae hatch and Toad develop, they feed on invertebrate species 3

■ Do not add or remove plant debris. Amphibians use small to medium-sized twigs on which to attach their eggs, so no woody material needs to be added to the pond. Although tree tops and debris

should be kept out of the pond depres- Spotted salamander Rae Chambers by Illustration sion during forest maintenance, if some material does fall in, it should be left there. Removal could disturb amphibian eggs or young.

■ Protect water quality. ■ Do not drain ponds or alter the minimum 100-foot buffer is recommended Be aware of water flow patterns and the surrounding watershed. between ponds and any activities that can amount of area that drains into your A vernal pond’s location, dimensions, alter water quality or produce sediment. property’s vernal pond. This way, it is and surrounding topography are the This material is hazardous because it fills possible to prevent the flow of mate- product of thousands of years of geologic in pond floors, suffocates egg masses, and rials like chemicals, fertilizers, and silt evolution. Diverting or draining the area’s can harm developing larvae. Nearby roads from reaching ponds. All earth-moving water or depleting the underground water with water diversion structures should be activities must be carefully managed to table would cause irreversible changes to positioned in a way that keeps sediment prevent silt from flowing into the pond. A the ecosystem. from entering the buffer area and pond.

Late winter and early spring vernal pools are filled with water. Illustration by Jeffery Mathison Jeffery by Illustration 4

■ Protect ponds from off-road vehicles ■ Do not add fish or other animals. minimizes sedimentation threats to the and machinery. Making a fish pond out of a vernal wetland ponds. The most important consider- Consider fencing off vernal ponds; also be quickly defeats its ecological purpose. The ation is to keep a buffer zone around sure to prevent disturbance from recre- animals in a vernal pond’s food chain rely the pond. A buffer of 100 feet or wider ational and industrial off-road vehicles on the absence of fish or other animals is recommended where trees and shrubs in the surrounding area year-round. It is that would feed on amphibian young or are retained and there is minimal distur- essential that pond beds and walls remain compete with them for insects. bance to the leaf litter or soil. Following undisturbed even during the dry season. these guidelines will ensure that the Compaction of the soil can change water ■ Do not allow collection of plants temperature and moisture are adequate flow and damage dormant eggs and larvae or animals. for the travel habits of amphibians. To buried in the pond leaf litter. Tire ruts in Be sure that plants and animals are not minimize disturbance, forest operations the pond can also promote early drainage removed from the pond. Even small in the buffer area should occur when the at a time when amphibian eggs have not changes in a vernal pond’s ecosystem can ground is frozen and covered with snow; yet hatched. Ruts in the surrounding upset the balance of predator-prey rela- operations should always be avoided in forested area can cause amphibians to lay tionships and could include the removal muddy conditions that would cause ruts eggs in locations too shallow to sustain of endangered plants and animals. deeper than 6 inches. Silt fences seriously their young. Ruts can also trap young inhibit amphibian migration and should salamanders and turtles on their way into ■ Keep the effects of timber operations be removed from the buffer and nearby the forest, leaving them to be eaten by to a minimum. areas as soon as possible. predators or die of dehydration. Existing Timber harvesting in a forest with ruts can be filled in with soil. vernal ponds can be done in a way that

Vernal pools begin to dry up in summer; some are completely dry by late summer. Illustration by Jeffery Mathison Jeffery by Illustration 5

Regularly used skid trails and landings life.) Order online at shop.massaudubon should be situated outside the buffer. .org/store/product/41288/Pondwatchers Close existing roads in the buffer area to -Guide-to-Ponds-and-Vernal-Pools-of prevent off-road vehicles from disturbing -Eastern-North-America/. the buffer and pond areas. At the pond itself, keep tree tops and slash out of the Welsch, David J., et al. Forested Wetlands: depression. However, to keep from dis- Functions, Benefits, and the Use of Best turbing amphibians, if a tree top falls in, it Management Practices. 1995. U.S. Depart- should not be removed from the pond. ment of Agriculture Forest Service. Publi- cation No. NA-PR-01-95. (A booklet on managing forestry operations in forested wetlands, including chapters on vernal For More Information ponds.) Available at www.treesearch .fs.fed.us/pubs/10891. Books Kenney, L., and M. Burne. A Field Guide Websites to the Animals of Vernal Pools. 2001. Mas- The Vernal Pools Association is an sachusetts Natural Heritage and Endan- environmental project of the Reading gered Species Program. www.mass.gov/ Memorial High School in Reading, Mas- eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/natural-heritage/ sachusetts, and encourages the study and publications-forms/publications/. protection of vernal ponds. This organi- zation also produces online and printed Shaffer, Larry L. Pennsylvania Amphibians educational materials for youth and and Reptiles. 1999. Pennsylvania Fish and adults, including vernal pond manage- Boat Commission. (Color illustrations, ment recommendations, natural history identification descriptions, range, habitat, books, and lesson plans. and reproduction facts on Pennsylvania www.vernalpool.org salamanders, frogs, toads, turtles, lizards, and snakes. Identification posters are also available separately.) Order forms and online purchase available at www.fish .state.pa.us (click on “ShopFishandBoat .com”). Sidelinger John by Illustration

Van Dusen, Barry W., Betsy Colburn, and Chris Leahy. Pond Watchers Guide to Ponds and Vernal Pools of Eastern North America. Wood frog 1995. Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln, MA. (A full-color, laminated pocket field guide to common vernal pond

Red-spotted newt Illustration by Rae Chambers by Illustration 6

extension.psu.edu Authors Amanda B. Yeager, former wildlife Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences research and extension programs are funded in part by Pennsyl- extension assistant, and Margaret vania counties, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. C. Brittingham, professor of wild- Where trade names appear, no discrimination is intended, and no endorsement by Penn State Extension is life resources implied. This publication is available in alternative media on request. Acknowledgment Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment Partial funding for this fact sheet opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, was provided by Pennsylvania’s gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Wildlife Resource Conservation Produced by Ag Communications and Marketing Fund. © The Pennsylvania State University 2016 Code UH161 2/17pod