Written by Emily Allen
In the afternoon of our field trip to the Carrizo Plains National Monument we were able to visit the Carrizo vernal pool region, at the southern end of the valley. A few pools had water in them from recent rains.
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View of the vernal pools.
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There was an amazing amount of wildlife around and in the pools including a large spider, evidence of ground-nesting bees, and a centipede. There were also large numbers of fairy shrimp in the shallow edges of the pools.
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| A centipede |
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| A spider in a dry area around the pools |
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A close up of a nest tunnel.
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A collection of nest tunnels made by ground-nesting bee.
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There was a diverse collection of plants in and around the vernal pools as well:
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| Lasthenia ssp. , goldfields |
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| Plagiobothrys ssp., popcorn flower |
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| Distichlis spicata, saltgrass |
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| Frankenia salina, alkali heath |
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