When the Northwoods begin to thaw, whimsical creatures like fairy shrimp and spotted salamanders quietly come to life in Michigan’s vernal pools. It’s on us to keep it that way. The water is still—a ...

In the early spring, a lot of biological activity takes place around vernal ponds — those shallow ponds, usually but not always in woodlands, that have water in the spring and fall but dry completely ...

Thanks to heavy rains brought to California by Tropical Storm Hilary, 22-legged crustaceans are swimming about at Joshua Tree National Park. “Shrimp in the desert? Yup,” rangers said in a Sept. 12 ...

Fleeting woodland ponds teeming with fairy shrimp, fingernail clams and blue-spotted salamanders might sound straight out of a fantasy novel, but they’re actually an essential feature of Michigan ...

You won’t find fairy shrimp on the Red Lobster menu, however, you will find them swimming at Joshua Tree National Park. Last month, Tropical Storm Hilary dropped 1 to 4 inches of rain on different ...

If you’re not looking for vernal pools, you might never even know they’re here. These temporary wetlands appear in Michigan forests each spring, only to disappear a few weeks later. In that short span ...