by Randall Arendt
Natural Features
 |
Vernal Pools The Preserve, Old Saybrook, Connecticut These shallow woodland ponds are significant precisely because they are ephemeral, appearing only during the wetter months. As they are typically bone-dry by midsummer, they do not support a fish population, meaning that the larvae and young of many woodland amphibians (such as spotted salamander, spadefoot toad, and wood frog) are safe from piscine predators. However, such features are not even on the screen of most code writers, and are frequently graded over in total ignorance of their importance. At this project, numerous pools were identified and prioritized according to the richness and diversity of their amphibian life, as estimated by a specialist in this field. Photo by Randall Arendt. |
| |
Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments