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Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
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Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
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Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
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Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
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Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
Photo by David Rosen, Wildside Photography -
The Vernal Pools of Mather Field
What is a Vernal Pool?
A vernal pool is a temporary wetland that fills with water during the rainy season and dries down in the spring. It remains dry for six to eight months awaiting the next winter rains. The plants and animals that are adapted to survive these annual extremes of flood and drought create a changing mosaic of life throughout the three phases of a vernal pool: wet, flowering and dry.
Geology - The role of soil
While the vernal pools at Mather Field range from 50,000 to 200,000 years old, the soils under them began forming more than two million years ago. Dissolved minerals slowly moved down through the soil, eventually forming a hardpan layer. This hardpan lies a few inches to a few feet below the soil surface.
Hydrology - The role of water
In a vernal pool grassland, the movement of rainwater through the soil is stopped by a cement-like layer called hardpan. The water stays perched above the hardpan, where we see it in the shallow depressions called vernal pools. The pools host hundreds of species of tiny aquatic organisms.
Visiting Vernal Pools
For information about visiting the Mather Field Vernal Pools and a schedule of free spring tours check out the vernal pool tours page or call 916-364-2437.
For information about visiting vernal pools in other locations, visit www.vernalpools.org.
