Mather Field is a pretty happening place when it comes to plants and wildlife.  It’s the home of a very special kind of ecosystem called vernal pools, a type of temporary wetland that occurs in California’s Central Valley.

Virtually every spring around this time of year Mather Field comes to life with its spectacular display of vernal pool flowers that bloom around the edges of the gradually evaporating pools.

Each spring I take students in my General Ecology (Bio 160) class to the vernal pools at Mather Field.  This year we happened upon a garter snake, a couple pacific chorus frogs, and of course a whole host of flowering plant species endemic to California vernal pools.  In the process, we learned about a unique ecological system in California that is both beautiful and threatened.

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