One Year Later After Installation

The Vernal Pond Comes to Life

For a larger view of the pictures, just click on the pictures.

By August of 2013, the vernal pond habitat has flourished and has become very active with providing water, food and shelter for a variety of fauna and flora in its first year of development. Aquatic plants have established their home in this environment such as duck potato and cattail, along with the native plants that were planted in the fall of 2012. Evidence of wildlife has appeared such as raccoons, birds nesting, dragonflies and mud daubers. Wood frogs and salamanders are expected to appear in the next spring. Also, neighborhood youths are coming to the area to explore the new habitat.

A male and female American Goldfinch came to the pond to drink the water and look for insects to eat.

A neighborhood youth finds interest in exploring the new habitat's fauna and flora.

The vernal pond pops alive in its first spring of 2013 with flowers blooming, dragonflies and the American Robins coming to make their nest after a long wet winter. For a better view of the dragonfly crossing the pond, click on the picture.

On January 13, 2013, 1.93 inches of rain saturated Bowling Green, KY. That rain is just what we needed to fill the newly constructed vernal pond that was installed August 3, 2012. In the background, you can see the storm water run-off filling the newly constructed drainage channel.

August 17, 2012, just two weeks after the installation, the pond has become saturated and started to fill from rain and storm water run-off.

A sunflower plant attracts pollinators to the area.

An American Robin has nested at the pond and hatched eggs; an egg shell was found in the pond.

Evidence of a raccoon was found in the pond

The greatest value the duck potato offers is food and cover for aquatic animal life. The seed and tubers of duck potato are readily consumed by waterfowl, songbirds, wadding birds, muskrats and beaver.

The sedge and rush plants provide seed for the wildlife and shelter for aquatic organisms.

A mud dauber comes to the pond to get material to build his nest.

In the dragonfly's aquatic larval stage, their food sources consist of mosquito larvae, tadpoles and minnows. The vernal pond provides food, water and shelter for the adult dragonflies.