A friend and I recently took a walk in the woods to look for salamander eggs in the vernal pools. In one pool we hit the jackpot...69 spotted salamander egg masses!
Vernal pools are important habitats for various frogs, toads, salamanders and plants. You can often find a vernal pool by following the early spring sounds of frogs. These sites are unique in that they are seasonal. They dry up after spring time. Because they are seasonal, there are no fish in vernal pools, making them ideal nurseries for creatures that rely on them for breeding.
Salamanders return to the same pool where their life began when it is time to breed and reproduce. Adults can live up to twenty or more years, usually close to the vernal pool they came from. In summer adults are usually hidden under leaf litter or logs, where they eat centipedes, worms, spiders, crickets and slugs. In winter they live underground.
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| Vernal pools are shallow and dry up by summer time. |
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| An egg mass contains about 100 eggs |
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| An adult spotted salamander can reach 6 to 10 inches in length. The spotted salamander is the official state amphibian in South Carolina and Ohio. Photo courtesy of Diane Girgente. |
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