Creatures of VP's

Fairy Shrimp

Mole Salamander

Fairy Shrimp are small crustaceans that spend their lives in vernal pools. (life span of only a few weeks) The female produces spawn and the eggs settle to the bottom of the pool. The eggs go through a series of freezing, drying and then hatching in early spring when the water returns in particular temperatures. (about 60 degrees, the fairy shrimp cannot live in a temperature warmer)

The mole salamander travels to the vernal pool to mate and lay its eggs. They are upland creatures that migrate mostly on rainy nights from burrows on the forest floors. The eggs develop in the pool and are ready to travel upland to continue their live as a terrestrial  creature. 

The presence of these two species in an ecosystem is an indicator of a vernal pool. 

Works cited: http://www.vernalpool.org/vpinfo_1.htm
fairy shrimp image- (Gary Meszaros 2011)
Mole Salamander- (Camazine 2011)