Around these parts, they’re called wicked big puddles. Don’t let the name fool you, though. While vernal pools are really fun to explore, and you can see things there that you won’t find anywhere else ...

SOUTHWICK — With vernal pools declining as a result of habitat loss, a state biologist recently visited a pool in the North Pond Conservation Area with over two dozen area residents to explain their ...

SOUTH HADLEY — What looks suspiciously like a puddle to most of us, to Brad Timm is a whole new world of creatures, living and dying, unseen by the rest of the world. “There is a multilayered ...

HAVERHILL — It is unlikely that anyone would want to barbecue fairy shrimp. But if you were a young salamander or a duck, these tiny creatures might be a good snack. Fairy shrimp, which are delicate, ...

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 ...

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.