For those of us of a certain age, who perhaps may have attended too many loud concerts in our misbegotten youth, anthropogenic loud noise is to be avoided at all costs. Leaf blowers, gas powered lawnmowers and trimmers can easily reach a headache inducing 95 decibels (dB). If you are enjoying an early spring walk in the woods, and you still have enough hearing left, you may be lucky enough to hear natural noise just as loud. Spring peepers, toads, and salamanders are drawn to depressions in the earth that fill up with water in the spring and summer but are mostly dry the rest of the year. Like college students that have been cooped up all winter, they are looking for love in all the ephemeral places.

Vernal (from the Latin “ver” for spring) depressions, or pools are essential for the survival of these amphibians. If the depression only has water part of the year that means it is unlikely to contain the number one predator of frog larvae and eggs- fish. As they peep and trill to attract mates the glorious sound is loud enough to drown out the noise of a nearby beltway. It too can reach 95 dB but never gives me a headache. Ranger John Lehman at Marshy Point Park describes it as “sleigh bells en masse.” The pools are formed on top of non-porous soil (like clay) so they do not dry out quickly

Biologists refer to animals that use temporary aquatic habitat as vernal pool indicator species. They are of interest to scientists for many reasons- one field of study focuses on the rapid metamorphosis and growth of these species. Up against an unyielding time clock, if they are not able to exist on dry land before the pool dries up, game over. By examining these amphibians, scientists hope to learn to speed up healing and slow down disease in humans. According to a study cited by the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Society, eighty five percent of vernal pool amphibians return to breed in the pool of their birth. If you see masses of frogs, toads, or salamanders crossing a road despite the high death toll, they are just trying to go home.

Marshy Point has two fabulous vernal pools a short walk from the Nature Center. One is reached by the Katie and Wil Trail (orange) and the other is the eponymous Vernal Pond trail (tan). There are some pseudo vernal pools at Cromwell Valley Park. One is at the far end of the park near what used to be Betty’s Gardens and there are several human made ponds. Pseudo, because these pools never completely dry out but still worth visiting as they share many attributes with true vernal pools.

If you approach quietly, you will likely see male toads calling with a short pitched but loud “errr.” If the call works and a female approaches, the male climbs on top and clasps her with his rear legs just above her rear legs and his front legs above her front legs in a mating ritual called amplexus (from the Latin “to embrace”). As she releases her eggs, he fertilizes them. It is not uncommon for an unsuccessful male to try and knock off a mating male. If the challenger fails, the joined pair will swim underwater where the female will attach her eggs to plant material as they are released and fertilized. Toad eggs are laid in a macaroni like string while frog spawn is in a clump enclosed in a jelly like material.

To me, the sound is restorative and magical. Often surrounded by eastern skunk cabbage, among the earliest native plants to bloom, vernal pools are a reminder of both the joy and fleeting nature of all life.