VERNAL POOLS Water resources on Mt. Tom offer benefits to wildlife communities as well as humans. VERNAL POOLS
Vernal pools are shallow topographic depressions that are seasonally filled with water. Due to their seasonal lack of water, they cannot support fish, making them refuges for species such as frogs and salamanders to breed. Vernal pools and their associated upland forests are critical sources of wildlife diversity in Massachusetts. DRY PHASE
Climatic changes associated with each season cause dramatic changes in vernal pools. Vernal pools tend to collect water during winter snow melt and spring rains, fluctuating in volume from season to season. During particularly dry years, vernal pools may not fill at all. rn
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WET PHASE
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As vernal pools fill with water, they provide breeding habitat for many amphibians and feeding grounds for birds and mammals.
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18 Mt. Tom Ecological Assessment Vernal Pools