Wood frogs typically breed in March, but the exact timing depends on a variety of factors, including rainfall and temperature. They tend to all head to the vernal pool around the same time to breed.

Underwater photo of wood frog egg masses in a vernal pool in Dracut. Tim Beaulieu A spotted salamander moves through shallow water during its annual breeding activity at a vernal pool in Stoneham.

I asked. “ Yes, we are at a beautiful vernal pool and a deciduous forest looking for salamanders and frogs tonight,” Weiler said, smiling. It seemed she was in her happy place.

In the spring, during wood frog mating season, wood frogs descend en masse upon vernal pools. Males frenziedly seek out females and clasp the female from behind in a mating position known as amplexus.

Good because, if I had to learn it, then you should, too. The vernal pool is the Hawaii of frogs. When you go to Hawaii, you'll find that the destination is wonderful but the trip itself is awful.

The creature is no bigger than a thumb nail. A wood frog comes in at 1.5 to 2.5 inches long. For only three or four days of the year, these small brown frogs gather at vernal pools to mate.

In addition to the vernal pool training session on Feb. 29, Graff will hold training sessions for Frog Watchers March 4-5 and March 18-19, with field training on March 7 and March 21.

A dead and dried-out mass of wood frog eggs indicated that the pond could be productive as a vernal pool if it was not intentionally drained. Ironically, many such drainage efforts in the 20th ...

I officially heard both in my yard last week. And, there is a good scientific reason for this, too. Both species breed in vernal pools. Simply put, vernal pools form in wooded areas that fill with the ...

Standing waist-deep in a vernal pool at midnight, I don’t know which is colder, the 40-degree late March air, or the frigid water. My rubber chest waders keep me dry, but don’t provide much ...

According to the teachers, fairy shrimp, turtles, frogs, salamander eggs, as well as a variety of birds and mammals of the surrounding deciduous forest frequent the vernal pool.