The Vernal Pools are Back in River View Natural Area!

After several dry years, the rains of the 2022-2023 winter and spring have resurrected “our” vernal pools, one of Oregon's rarest wetland types. No fish allowed, so they are safe nurseries for many amphibian and invertebrate species – frogs, toads, salamanders-giant and otherwise -and (maybe?) vernal pool fairy shrimp.

RVNA real time nursery looks like a Monet painting!

Vernal pools form on impervious basalt bedrock, like the Collins View Waverly Heights basalt [3] — the oldest exposed rock in the Portland Area. Who knew?

Old rock enables new life emerging from its vernal pools.

References

• [1] Vernal Pools, on Oregon Explorer [LINK]
• [2] Vernal Pools, on Wikipedia [LINK]
• [3] Portland Hill Walks, Laura O. Foster, page 150
• [4] Friends of River View Natural Area [LINK]
• [5] A Report on River View Natural Area, including Vernal Pools! [LINK]

Editor's Note

Vernal pools were written about by Maryellen Read, and published in April 2018 SW News.

Both photos by Brendan. Text by Maryellen.

Additional story elements by blog team.

Comments submitted on this article

Comments will appear here — To be curated from Nextdoor, then posted a week or so after article is published. (At this time, we don't support commenting directly on the blog.)