Matt Burne, co-author of A Field Guide to the Animals of Vernal Pools, led us on a lovely, rewarding walk, in spite of rain showers. The group was made up of hardy souls who voted to continue the walk to the 3rd pool, in spite of yet more showers on the way. Matt showed us eggs of salamanders and frogs, fairy shrimp, and diving beetle larva. And, as we watched, our sample beetle larva proceeded to attack and eat the fairy shrimp. We all thought the fairy shrimp much cuter, but that nature takes her way. (All of the walkers, we think, survived the walk, with only some muddy feet and wet clothing.)
Matt is a founder of the Vernal Pool Association, and is an excellent guide.
Each photo below has a caption that explains what’s going on. When you click a thumbnail, the photo shows quite large, with the caption at top left.
