Today my friend, King, and I drove to Jepson Prairie to join about 15 others in observing the flora and fauna of this large Vernal pool called Olcott lake. Vernal Pools are unique in this area and are temporary wetlands. There is a hardpan that does not allow water to soak into the earth. Only evaporation and rapidly growing plants empty a pool. They remain completely dry through the summer. They undergo 3 distinct stages: an aquatic phase, a flowering phase, and a drought phase. This cycle creates extreme conditions for the plants and animals that live here. Their life-cycle is VERY short. There is a solitary bee that pollinates one species of flower, both live in this place ONLY.

I am a 2nd year docent for the Jepson Prairie Vernal Pool, and I continue to learn more each time I adventure to this amazing place of miniature plants and Fairy Shrimp type aquatic animals.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of the yellow Gold Fields lining the north side of the lake and of the group looking at the tiny water animals dipped from the lake. Many of these species are near extinction.

On and around the lake itself, we observed Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Brewers Blackbirds, Canada Geese, Pintails, Meadow lark, Yellow Legs wading bird, Great Blue Heron, Great egret, Raven, Turkey Vulture, Redtailed Hawk, 20 White pelican soaring above, and about 100 Black-bellied Plovers on an island in the lake.