{"id":1801,"date":"2013-03-13T12:00:24","date_gmt":"2013-03-13T16:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.massaudubon.org\/blogs\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=1801"},"modified":"2013-12-17T15:28:21","modified_gmt":"2013-12-17T20:28:21","slug":"getting-ready-for-the-big-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/getting-ready-for-the-big-night\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting ready for The Big Night"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/03\/salamander.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-1940\" alt=\"Yellow-spottted salamander\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/03\/salamander.jpg\" width=\"403\" height=\"302\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/03\/salamander.jpg 448w, https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/03\/salamander-300x224.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 403px) 100vw, 403px\" \/><\/a>Sun is shining and birds are singing! You know what that means: spring is upon us, and some very important ecosystems are becoming active once again.\u00a0Among the most critical and vulnerable of these ecosystems is the vernal pool.<\/p>\n<p><b>What&#8217;s a Vernal Pool?<br \/>\n<\/b>The quintessential vernal pool is an isolated, semi-permanent wetland that comes to life seasonally. These\u00a0natural depressions fill up with water in the fall due to a rising water table, or fill with snowmelt and spring rains.\u00a0Vernal pools can be found in meadows, floodplains, woodlands, and even sandplains across the state.<\/p>\n<p>Vernal pools often freeze over during the winter, but as temperatures rise when spring approaches, a vernal pool becomes an active breeding zone for many creatures from invertebrates to amphibians and turtles.<\/p>\n<p>Vernal pools are vulnerable to development. Even if a vernal pool itself is saved from destruction, changes in the surrounding upland may disrupt the habitat and life cycles of the resident species. The removal of the surrounding forest during the construction of houses, driveways, and lawns, for example, may degrade a nearby vernal pool to such an extent that the amphibian population is eliminated.<\/p>\n<p><b>Home Sweet Vernal Pool<br \/>\n<\/b>Vernal pools host several obligate species, or species that require the use of a vernal pool for either a portion or the entirety of their life cycle. Importantly, due to the temporary nature of this environment, vernal pools do not accomodate populations of fish, which would eat the eggs and other life stages of most vernal pool-related organisms.<\/p>\n<p>New England is home to many easily recognizable obligate vernal pool species, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Salamanders\u00a0<\/b>Yellow-spotted, marbled, blue-spotted, and Jefferson salamanders rely on vernal pools for reproducing (critical for the latter three as they are rare, state-listed species). Most of these critters live in burrows on the forest floor, or underneath logs and rocks. On the first warm rainy nights in the spring, watch for salamanders crossing roads on their way to vernal pools.<\/li>\n<li><b>Wood frogs<\/b>\u00a0During the first few weeks of the breeding season when the temperature hovers around 50\u00b0F,\u00a0males join in a quacking chorus from vernal pools, calling out to potential mates. After mating, wood frogs return to their moist woodland habitat, where they spend the year. Their eggs hatch in the vernal pool, and the resulting tadpoles develop before following the adults upland.<\/li>\n<li><b>Fairy shrimp<\/b>\u00a0These incredible creatures range in size from \u00bd inch to 1 \u00bd inches, swim upside down with 11 pairs of legs, and spend the entire year in vernal pools.\u00a0They survive dry periods as eggs, which hatch when the pool refills \u00a0with water. Fairy shrimp need only a few weeks of water in the pool to complete their entire life cycle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Experience Big Night<br \/>\n<\/b>Every year, during one of the first warm, rainy nights of the spring season, wood frogs and salamanders begin the migration to vernal pools to breed. That evening is referred to as The Big Night.<\/p>\n<p>Mass Audubon&#8217;s wildlife sanctuaries across the state celebrate the event with all sorts of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.massaudubon.org\/catalog\/short_results.php?region=all&amp;start_date=&amp;end_date=mm\/dd\/yyyy&amp;kw=vernal&amp;selected_page=1\" target=\"_blank\">wonderful programs<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0throughout the month.<\/p>\n<p>Had the chance to see it for yourself this year, or in years past? Tell us about it in the comments!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>&#8211; by Emma Evans<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sun is shining and birds are singing! You know what that means: spring is upon us, and some very important ecosystems are becoming active once again.\u00a0Among the most critical and vulnerable of these ecosystems is the vernal pool. What&#8217;s a Vernal Pool? The quintessential vernal pool is an isolated, semi-permanent wetland that comes to life [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[19,88,96,107],"class_list":["post-1801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature-notes","tag-amphibians","tag-salamanders","tag-spring","tag-vernal"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-t3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13686,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-wonderful-wood-frogs\/","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Wonderful Wood Frogs","author":"Ryan D.","date":"March 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Warming spring days trigger amphibians like Wood Frogs and Spotted Salamanders to migrate to vernal pools to breed, often in great numbers, on the night of the first soaking rain above 45\u00b0F\u2014a phenomenon known as \u201cBig Night.\u201d Vernal pools\u00a0are temporary, isolated ponds that form when spring rain and meltwater from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Take 5&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wood Frog \u00a9 Jane Parker","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/03\/1780Jane_Parker10325.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/03\/1780Jane_Parker10325.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/03\/1780Jane_Parker10325.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/03\/1780Jane_Parker10325.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15269,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-hopping-into-march\/","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Hopping into March","author":"Kelly R.","date":"March 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As we enter March, look to the frog for inspiration on how to make the most of this transitional season: get outdoors and make some noise, soak up the sun, and look for seasonal oases around you. While Massachusetts thaws, woodland hollows and low areas flood, creating temporary isolated pools.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Take 5&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green Frog","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/03\/4717martha_pfeiffer21535-720x480-94a2dac7-2021-47cc-8fa6-c848e94dae03.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/03\/4717martha_pfeiffer21535-720x480-94a2dac7-2021-47cc-8fa6-c848e94dae03.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/03\/4717martha_pfeiffer21535-720x480-94a2dac7-2021-47cc-8fa6-c848e94dae03.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/03\/4717martha_pfeiffer21535-720x480-94a2dac7-2021-47cc-8fa6-c848e94dae03.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7311,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/5-fun-facts-about-moose-hill\/","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":2},"title":"5 Fun Facts About Moose Hill","author":"Hillary T.","date":"March 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Karen Stein, Moose Hill Sanctuary Director I am often reminded as I meet people on the trails at Moose Hill\u00a0in Sharon\u00a0or as I go about work in town, that the land \u201cup on the hill\u201d has really been a part of the lives of so many people for such\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sanctuaries 100&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sanctuaries 100","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/sanctuaries-100\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/GeorgeandMarthaMooseHill.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/GeorgeandMarthaMooseHill.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/GeorgeandMarthaMooseHill.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12572,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-salamander-swarm\/","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Salamander Swarm","author":"Ryan D.","date":"April 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Every year, warming spring days trigger amphibians like spotted salamanders and wood frogs to migrate en masse to vernal pools to breed on the night of the first soaking rain above 45\u00b0F\u2014a phenomenon known as \u201cBig Night.\u201d This spectacular annual event is taking place all across Massachusetts. Vernal pools\u00a0are temporary,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spotted Salamander \u00a9 Ryan Dorsey\/Mass Audubon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/04\/DSC_0593.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/04\/DSC_0593.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/04\/DSC_0593.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/04\/DSC_0593.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7299,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/things-to-do-this-weekend-march-26-27\/","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":4},"title":"Things To Do This Weekend: March 26-27","author":"Hillary T.","date":"March 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A sheep festival, mud art, an egg hunt, and a bat house building workshop are a few of the ways you can celebrate nature with us this weekend. See all the programs and register online. Greater Boston Celebrate the coming of spring at Woolapalooza, Drumlin Farm's\u00a0annual festival featuring fiber, food,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Get Outdoors&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Get Outdoors","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-outdoors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/sheep-e1458845408572.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/sheep-e1458845408572.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/sheep-e1458845408572.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15009,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-willow-age-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":1801,"position":5},"title":"In Your Words: Willow, Age 8","author":"Ryan D.","date":"December 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Willow is a young Mass Audubon member making a big impact. Check out our \"Nature in Your Neighborhood\" videos that highlight some of her adventures in nature, including a Fun Fungi Hunt and Exploring a Vernal Pool. Nature Hero Willow, Age 8 I\u2019ve been going to Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;In Your Words&quot;","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Willow writing in her nature journal beside a vernal pool at Arcadia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/12\/20200516_150642.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/12\/20200516_150642.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/12\/20200516_150642.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/12\/20200516_150642.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3064,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1801\/revisions\/3064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}