Blue-Stopped Salamander

• Amphibian that lives in the northeast and near the Great Lakes
• Live in moist hardwood deciduous forests with access to vernal pools
• Grow up to 12-14 cm
• Black body with blue spots on the side and tail
• Eats insects, spiders, and small invertebrates
• Live under logs, rocks, or bushes
• Lay eggs attaches to submerged debris in fishless vernal pools

Wood Frog

• A frog common in North American forests
• Light brown or tan in color with a darker area around the eyes
• Around 2.5 inches or 6 cm
• Feed on dead plants, algae, and amphibian eggs/larvae
• Breed in vernal pools in order to protect eggs and tadpoles from fish
• Spend summer in moist wetlands and migrate for the winter
• Lie dormant in winter, have urea and glycogen to survive freezing of blood and tissue
• Steadily decreasing due to human development(construction, drainage, road building)

Fairy Shrimp

• Freshwater crustaceans
• Most are under 1 cm, others can grow up to 6 cm and feed on other fairy shrimp
• Adapted to vernal pools where there is only for part of the year
• Eggs can survive droughts for several  years and with only hatch when water fills up the vernal pool for 30 hours
• Two types of eggs, “summer” and “winter”
• Summer eggs hatch in the same season
• Winter eggs are harder and can withstand droughts, heat, and freezing temperatures