Butter-and-eggs or Common Owl’s-Clover
Butter-and-eggs is a member of the figwort family. The flowers are long tubes with three inflated (balloon-like) sacks near the top. In Butter-and-eggs, the sacks are bright yellow. Note that…
Rotifers
Rotifers are the smallest animals. Their outer coat looks like clear glass. Sometimes this glassy coat is covered with spines or spikes. Rotifers have a ring of cilia (hairs) at…
Valley Tassels or Narrow Owl’s-Clover
Valley Tassels are a member of the figwort family. The flowers are long tubes with three inflated (balloon-like) sacks near the top. In Valley Tassels, the inflated sacks have a…
The Mitey Rosy Boa!
…ambassadors that assist us with our education programs. This beautiful snake is named Mitey because, when we acquired it, it had reptile mites, a rather common parasite of snakes and…
David Rosen
…the Western Meadowlark because of its delightful song, stunning plumage, and really cool nest. His favorite plant in the vernal pools is Vernal Pool Dodder because he’s fascinated by parasites….
Vernal Pool Dodder
Vernal Pool Dodder is a member of the dodder family. The plant consists of a mass of orange stems which resemble string. If you look closely, you may see smaller…
Water Mites
Several species of Water Mites live in vernal pools. The most obvious one looks like a fat spider with a bright red, round body. It has eight small legs attached…
Algae
Algae live in water and come in many shapes and sizes. They are shades of green, golden brown, red, or brown. Like other plants, algae are made up of cells…