Markert Family Blog: Rainboots got their use today!

What a great day! This afternoon we joined a homeschool class on Vernal Pools in Hopkinton, NH. First, let me say that Hopkinton is one of the most beautiful towns. It is so beautiful and has such a country feel, but at the same time, very close to "civilization" in Concord. If it wasn't so far north, I would love to live there!

Today's Vernal Pool study was held at the John Brockway Nature Preserve, and was led by Kevin Wall, Director of Education from the NH Audubon in Concord. The students began their class in an outside classroom made of flat logs for seats. Kevin explained what Vernal Pools were, what lives and doesn't live in them, and what they could expect to see today. Then we hiked, nets in hand, through the gorgeous preserve to a large area of pools. We saw plenty of mosquito larvae (yuck...we know what's coming very soon from that) and some salamander eggs. There was still a bit of snow on the ground, and there was ice over the pools just last week. So we're going to head back with Daddy in a week or two and see what we can find. Frogs and salamanders are the main breeders in these pools, so it should be fun! At the entrance of the preserve there is a large pond, and there was tons of life in there. The boys saw tadpoles, 2 baby turtles, and lots of bugs. We probably would have seen more in the pond if we had stayed longer. Here are some pics from our day...