Spermataphores attached to leaves at the bottom of this pool left behind by the male spotted salamander. Both male and female salamanders perform a courtship ritual where the male tries to tempt the female to obtain his spermataphore in the hopes of fertilizing her eggs.
This wetland borders the the edge between the woodlands and open meadow. It doesn’t qulify as a vernal pool given it appears to have some current. However evidence of the types of animlas that utilize vernal pools for their life cycles are present.