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Between
Oceans

California Golden Poppies

 

Shooting stars

Tree frog

Oak

Comet

 

Vernal pool Downingia cuspidata

San Diego Mesa Mint

Vernal pools are shallow natural depressions found on San Diego's open mesas. Spring rains form standing puddles and ponds which combine with the unique qualities of the soil to create a chemistry ideal for plants and animals that occur nowhere else in the world. Since the turn of the century, over 90% of San Diego's vernal pools have disappeared beneath the asphalt and concrete of urban sprawl. A few protected pockets remain on private and government held lands but face continued pressure from non-native species, pollution, and altered drainage patterns.