Mike McGlathery
Hello everyone!
Mike here with your EwA Highlights for the week of March 27. In last week’s highlights, I mentioned that our vernal pool field season was kicking off. Of course, along with that comes a whole bunch of iNat observations from the EwA community. Our highlights this week reflect that; a week after the vernal equinox, here’s a celebration of vernal pools!
📸 One of the organisms most closely associated with vernal pools throughout its range is the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), which relies on vernal pool habitats during much of its lifecycle. Causing minimal disturbance to a vernal pool’s residents is one of the central facets of our survey program and all participants in these programs. While this frog doesn’t look too amused to have its picture taken, it hasn’t fled to the center of the pool, and that’s a good sign.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill Macindewar · Medford, MA · Mar 26, 2022)
Another amphibian that spring vernal pool season brings to mind is the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), known for its mass migrations to vernal pools when conditions are right. Throughout the first warm, rainy nights of spring, adult salamanders migrate from their forest habitats to the vernal pools in which they will breed. EwA community member Ronnie “spotted” this salamander on one such night this past week.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Ronnie Konick · Stoneham, MA · Mar. 24, 2022)
It’s not just the amphibian residents that make vernal pools so important to study—it’s the diversity of arthropod life they harbor, too. Joe found this American waterslater (Genus Caecidotea) during one of our vernal pool surveys. Waterslaters are aquatic isopods, making them underwater relatives of the woodlice/pill bugs/roly polies (whatever you like to call them) that you’d find so often when turning over logs.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Joe Macindewar · Massachusetts · Mar. 2022)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 384 observations of 180 distinct species. If you’re curious about the records from this week that have been validated by the iNat community so far, you can find them » here.
🏆 Running tally: To date, we have recorded 96,682 observations of 7,640 distinct species! Check out our EwA umbrella project, see the details per site/observer, and more » here.
📅 EwA Upcoming Public Events
Ewa Field Events » Check the EwA Spring Program [ Event details and registration » ] Don’t miss some great opportunities to follow the rhythm of the season in our local habitats and in the local wildlife! Space is limited for all our field events. Wildlife ethics is important to us and we seek to avoid putting the pressure on natural habitats which large gatherings unavoidably do. We are asking our audience to register-and-commit (or cancel when you know you can’t come) to avoid no-shows.
EwA Fieldwork (and Resources)
Spring schedule: We are picking up the monitoring pace, and moving from a monthly to every other week monitoring at all sites. Check EwA’s Volunteer Program Calendar 📅 to know when things happen. And if a session is of interest to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to get the rendezvous location.
📅 EwA Sites Map | 🌱 Site Protocols and Guides · Field Rosters · Field Notes » All here! | ℹ️ More about EwA’s Citizen Science Program » Here
❓ Do you have any questions? Don’t be shy. Just email me or reply to this thread.
That’s it for this week—until next time!
-Mike