Stories

Spring has sprung, the tree line is as vibrant as ever with an array of greens, pinks, and whites. Small flowers such as Crowspoison (Nothoscordum bivalve), Field Pansy (Viola bicolor), Oxalis species, Clover species, and Geranium species are in full bloom, dots of color among the fresh spring grasses filling the fields and prairies. Tree Swallows, Red Wing Black Birds, and various woodland Warblers have returned to fill the air with their songs. Bird songs, flowers, and bright colors are all characteristics of spring, but one thing makes it all possible – rain. We have all heard the saying: “April showers bring May flowers,” but rain also brings new habitats that are used by a variety of wildlife. Habitats such as ephemeral ponds.

Ephemeral ponds or pools are temporary wetlands that contain water for part of the growing season and follow a natural cycle of drying and refilling. These small wetlands may appear dull at first glance, a glorified puddle perhaps, but they are so much more than that. They provide critical habitats for many invertebrate and vertebrate species. Often forming within woodland habitats, ephemeral (meaning temporary) ponds serve as a breeding ground for amphibians, insects, and reptiles. Mammals and birds also use these ponds as a food and water source. These glorified puddles are a metropolis of life filled with frogs, salamanders, toads and their eggs, and insects. All of these species thrive in this habitat due to the unique lifecycle of the pond.

Since the pond dries up by summer, predatory fish and macroinvertebrates are unable to survive here, which makes them perfect locations for salamanders, frogs, and insects to breed. Some species depend exclusively on these habitats for reproduction and even return to the same pond each year for breeding. Every year, each of these ponds helps attract hundreds of frogs, salamanders, dragonflies, toads, and an incredible diversity of life into the habitat. Ephemeral pools serve as essential habitat for several at-risk species in Carolinas including the Gopher Frog (Lithobates capito), Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata), Bog Turtle (Glymptemys muhlenbergii), Ornate Chorus Frog (Pseudacris ornate), Mabee’s Salamander (Ambystoma mabeei), Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum), and more.

Due to habitat destruction from agricultural and urban expansion, many ephemeral pools and surrounding forests are in decline. These delicate ecosystems can be protected by maintaining the surrounding forest health and ensuring that no debris, waste, eggs, or species of any kind are added to or removed from the area. Though these small ecosystems may not appear as grandiose as larger, more permanent (perennial) wetlands, they are just as vital to the ecosystem and the wildlife they support. Bustling with life and song each spring, these temporary ponds are steppingstones to adulthood for many species. Help to preserve the sounds of the forest and learn to love the unloved things, the spiders, the worms, the slimy salamanders, and frogs. For we are the only voice that can save their lives.