Animals Of Ohio's Ponds and Vernal Pools

by David FitzSimmons, Gary Meszaros (Photographer)

A fascinating and beautiful guide to Ohio’s extraordinary wetland wildlife The Buckeye State’s many ponds and vernal pools are populated by a dizzying variety of wildlife. Animals of Ohio’s Ponds and Vernal Pools takes a close-up look at unique wetlands―from fascinating fish and amphibians to intriguing insects and birds―besides examining pond and vernal pool ecology, Ohio’s geologic history influencing wetland formation, and hydrology and energy cycles. In prose that enlightens and entertains, author David S. FitzSimmons uncovers both the rare and common life-forms found in and around Ohio’s ponds and vernal pools. First he discusses the Buckeye State’s variety of small lakes, covering everything from managed farm ponds to glacially formed basins. He then turns to vernal pools, temporary waters that fill in the late winter or spring and dry up in the summer. His moving prose describing specialized amphibian breeding habitats includes vivid accounts of rainy spring nights when hundreds of mole salamanders slip into the filling waters while equal numbers of wood frogs “clack” loudly in the dark. Accompanying these scientifically accurate and poetic descriptions are Gary Meszaros’s extraordinary photographs, including close-ups of multicolored dragonflies, underwater shots of fish, beautiful images of birds, and idyllic vistas of Ohio’s serene ponds and secluded pools. Animals of Ohio’s Ponds and Vernal Pools is a wonderful resource about the wetlands and wildlife that will inspire readers to learn about and protect their own natural environments.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jackson Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite nature-related books I've read and a must-read for anyone in Ohio that is interested in the natural world.
NOTES:
-wisconsinan glacier is reason for most ohio ponds
-most water that reaches a pond is from surface runoff and groundwater seepage
-photolysis
-frogs and mole salamanders use vernal pools to reproduce and then hide away for the rest of the year
-definition of vernal pools in chapter 2
-transpiration use for humans?
-triclads attach to organisms, insert their feeding tubes and then remove fluids from host organisms
-snails act as natural lawnmowers for algae
-rowing spiders can sail with the wind, row with their middle legs, or catapult themselves with back legs
-freshwater sponges do not have organs or tissues but can collect gallons of water
-hydras which are microscopic jellyfish are considered immortal
-of all the species of living organisms on the planet 50 percent are insects
-old dragonflies used to have wings as large as medium-sized hawks
-bugs vs true bugs
-some bugs carry bubbles of air with them when they swim
-this air bubble refills with DO so they can stay underwater indefinitely
-water striders can feel vibrations on the water's surface
-adult mayflies only live one day and sometimes only 90 minutes
-fish have a swim bladder that let them float at different levels
-fish scales of rings so their age can be measured like trees
-wood frogs migrate to vernal pools in January even though the pools are sometimes still covered in ice
-lungless salamanders absorb oxygen through their skin
-at 77 degrees a snapping turtle will incubate as a male, at any other temp it will be female
-musk turtles are arboreal and sometimes fall onto canoeists
-bats are the only true flying mammals
-only by knowing and appreciating our natural world can we ever care enough to conserve it