We haven’t had enough rain this year to fill all the vernal pools. In some cases there is enough water now to help the flowering plants to germinate, but not enough for all the special invertebrate creatures to complete their short life cycles.
Among California’s more curious creatures, fairy shrimp are a half-inch to an inch long and sport big, out-of-proportion eyes. Shrimp flip upside down to swim and beat their 11 pairs of legs in wavelike motion.
The have a remarkably adapted life cycle. After hatching in the pool, they live 40 to 50 days. In that time, they eat, mate and die, leaving behind egg-like cysts.
The cysts have legs, eyes and tails. When they hatch, they produce fully formed shrimp.
Cysts can lie dormant in the dry soil year after year, unharmed by summer heat, winter cold or drought,
They are protected in that cyst. That’s one thing we don’t have to worry about. They’ll be ready to pop out as soon as we get enough rain.
Want to learn about some of our very own local vernal pools? The Splash Center located just north of the upper Laguna Creek started there very own blog. Check it out here and subscribe to learn more about the fascinating local vernal pool landscapes.
Click here to learn more about fairy shrimp and how the drought is affecting California vernal pools.