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Loudoun Wildlife ConservancyLoudoun Wildlife Conservancy
  • About Us
    • Mission & Vision
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    • Staff
    • Volunteer Program Coordinators
    • Our Partners
    • Contributing Photographers
  • Events
  • Our Work
    • Education
      • Programs and Field Trips
      • Youth and Family Program
      • Peterson Young Naturalist Program
      • Habitat Herald
      • Eagle Cam at Dulles Wetlands
    • Citizen Science
      • Stream Monitoring
      • Butterfly Count
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      • Bluebird Monitoring
      • Bird Counts
    • Habitat Conservation
      • Habitat Restoration in the Community
      • Protecting Pollinators
      • Wildlife Sanctuary Program
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    • Conservation Advocacy
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Vernal Pools

Vernal Pools

To protect the environmentally sensitive habitat and rare species,
JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary is not open for general public access.

What are vernal pools? They are shallow depressions filled with water for variable periods from winter to spring, but are usually dry for most of the summer and fall. They provide unique wildlife habitats best known for the amphibians and invertebrate animals that use them to breed.

Vernal pool in three seasons

A vernal pool through the seasons: March (l), June (m) and August (r).
Photos by S. Ferguson and G. Hoogeweg

According to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the vernal pools at JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary support a globally rare wetland community type endemic, or nearly so, to six counties in the Culpeper Basin of northern Virginia and adjacent Maryland Piedmont. The  vernal pools at this site are part of the only known occurrence on karst features formed by the dissolution of limestone.  Although the site and its wetlands have been extensively disturbed, the unique geological setting and wildlife make the wetlands even more significant and worthy of conservation, restoration, and long-term management.

Take a tour of the vernal pools below (using the scroll bar to proceed through the story) or view the full frame version.

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LOUDOUN'S GREAT PLACES

Habitat Restoration News

  • Back to the LeSabre Vernal Pool for the May Work Day Volunteers removing trash from the LeSabre pool.Photo by Zahra Husrieh...
    Read More
  • 2025 Work Days at JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary Planting trees and shrubs near the LeSabre pool.Photo by Gerco...
    Read More
  • Restoration Begins on the Pin Oak Vernal Pool Volunteers begin clearing the invasive understory surrounding Pin Oak pool....
    Read More

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