Happy Earth Day from the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve! Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which was first recognized in 1970!
Vernal pools and swales are seasonal wetlands that support a unique assemblage of native aquatic plants when they are inundated in the winter and display colorful native wildflowers as they dry in the spring. In the state of California, over 90% of wetlands have been lost due to land use conversion and ecosystem degradation. Did you know that vernal pools and grasslands are hotspots for biodiversity in the state of California? Vernal pool and grassland ecosystems are a critical component of the California Floristic Province, which is a global biodiversity hotspot unto itself. A biodiversity hotspot is a region with a large number of species whose existence is threatened by human activity. Take a virtual tour of a vernal pool in bloom, and check out some of the amazing native species thriving on the reserve on our Facebook page!
