Virginia Vernal Pools, LLC

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Harrisonburg, VA
Virginia Vernal Pools, LLC

Specializing in freshwater wetlands ecology and conservation.

06/05/2026

Happy World Environment Day!
This years' theme is the climate crisis, and one of the key messages is "Nature is a frontline climate solution." Healthy ecosystems such as forests and wetlands absorb carbon, regulate water and can support healthy wildlife and humans. The climate crisis can seem overwhelming and depressing. We advocate implementing one simple thing, and then adding another if you are able. Can you plant a tree in your yard? Add a native plant that will support pollinators? Add a small pond for amphibians? Let us know if we can help you rewild a corner of your space!

06/03/2026

The Weekly Wild Spot:
Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
Virginia's wild turkey population is estimated to be about 180,000 birds; with the highest concentration in the Tidewater, South Mountain and South Piedmont areas. They prefer hardwood and pine forests, pastures, and agricultural edges.
They are a gamebird often hunted in the national forests, but can also be found in urban and suburban areas with lots of oak trees, as acorns are one of their most sought-after foods. Turkeys routinely eat salamanders in the spring.

Male wild turkeys (called toms) will fight each other to establish rank, territory and mating rights. This fighting can be prolonged and aggressive. Mike got to watch two toms wrestle in a Skunk cabbage seepage swamp last week.
(Photo by Levi Glines)

06/02/2026

We have many new followers, so it's time to reintroduce ourselves! Virginia Vernal Pools specializes in freshwater wetlands ecology and conservation. We can also help with farm pond retrofits, planting native plants & trees, invasive plant control, recreational trails, storm water management, wildlife habitat development, riparian restoration, stream enhancements, rewilding urban & suburban yards and more!

Mike Hayslett's career as a natural resources professional and educator spans over three decades - a wealth of experience and knowledge about conservation practices, wildlife ecology, and natural history in Virginia. Known for his expertise in freshwater wetlands, the conservation biology of amphibians & reptiles, and wildlife habitat development; he began working actively as a private, environmental consultant in 2014 with the formation of Virginia Vernal Pools, LLC. Mike took this life mission and work full time with his family in 2024 and continues this legacy of service across his home state! Kylie handles the marketing and communications for the business. With a background in writing, editing and design she enjoys creating ads, writing weekly social media posts, and updating the website. The boys enjoy occasionally joining us on the job site, and of course we all love being outside together in our free time! Running a small business together is challenging, but rewarding!

06/01/2026

Everywhere we go, whether working or playing, we always look for some wonderful wetlands to appreciate and enjoy! A little weekend escape just found us at Lake Sherwood on the Monongahela National Forest in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

This large lake has nice, shallow shorelines with well-developed beds of diverse and native, aquatic vegetation. These lakeshore wetlands are dominated by emergent Blunt Spikerush and the floating submergent Watershield. Other wetland plants observed included Dark Green Bullrush, Pointed Broom Sedge, and Prickly Bog Sedge, and Bushy St. John's wort. Fallen pines from the shore there also make good structure for basking, perching, and foraging of various wildlife. This WV public recreation area demonstrated a good balance between developed amenities and ecological management to provide maximum native vegetation and habitat variety.

These habitat are Lacustrine wetlands (think "lake-ustrine") - found along lake and pond shores where the banks are not too steep. Riverine wetlands develop along slow-moving streams. Palustrine wetlands - which we work in most frequently - are the swamps, marshes, seeps, vernal ponds, and other wetlands that are usually isolated from larger bodies of water. Our quest for wild, wet mini-worlds continues. (We also love wildlife sightings, like this large Eastern rat snake that Mike moved off a small footbridge, so no one would try to harm it!)

05/28/2026

Mike's work as a Consulting Ecologist carries him around various regions of our state and involves routine explorations of the Virginia wilds. Continuing work on our National Fish & Wildlife Foundation grant in Cumberland County last week, Mike evaluated several nice wetlands for improvements, cored a large fallen oak to age it, viewed the wide James River at Cartersville, and also conducted 6 meetings with project partners.

Our conservation mission takes us to beautiful wild places, provides for our family, allows us to befriend great folks and to do purposeful work that improves our world... one wetland at a time!

05/27/2026

The Weekly Wild Spot
Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros)
Kylie watched a beautiful Swamp Darner on the campground bathhouse last week. The large size, with a wingspan of 5" and a body length of nearly 4", makes this species distinctive. This dragonfly is one of the largest species in the east, and breeds in wooded swamps. The Swamp Darner has a long ringed abdomen with dark and green striping, and blue eyes.They can be seen on warm evenings hunting over forested areas in feeding swarms, which we got to experience in the shrubs of sand dunes.

05/26/2026

Drought continues, despite much-needed rain! Our region of the Shenandoah Valley received several inches of glorious rain over the past few days. We are so thankful for every drop during this severe drought. Last Thursday's U.S. Drought Monitor predicted the drought continuing through the end of August!

Kylie & the boys enjoyed a few days camping near Virginia Beach last week, where they observed drought affecting the swamps. The Bald Cypress Swamp was significantly drier, we noticed many completely dry areas, and the high water line on trees was 1-2' higher than the current water level! As always when we travel, we were pleased to observe lots of wildlife: a Swamp Darner dragonfly, Cope's gray treefrog, Southern Toad, Broadhead skink, and an Eastern box turtle were in the campground. These creatures, shorebirds and some nice fish catches made for a great trip!

05/23/2026

Today is World Turtle Day! This global day aims to increase awareness about the importance of protecting turtles and tortoises, and their rapidly disappearing habitats. Turtles are an ancient species, dating back over 200 million years. They play an important role in biodiversity, but despite their vital presence, more than half of all turtle species are now classified as endangered. This day to celebrate turtles also highlights the negative effects on turtles from humans, through habitat destruction, plastic pollution and the climate crisis that have caused turtle numbers to decrease. We build important habitat for turtles, they often find our restored and created wetlands within a few days of our work! We also always add basking logs to our water features to support turtles.

05/22/2026

Happy International Day for Biological Diversity! The theme for this year's day is "Acting locally for global impact," a good reminder for us all to see what we can do to preserve the wild spaces closest to us. Humans and wildlife are dependent on healthy and diverse ecosystems for our food, water, shelter etc. Biological diversity ensures there are pollinator networks, fertile soil, and a diverse genetic pool of plants and animals. It is also important for our changing climate, to absorb carbon dioxide, filter water and manage storm water. We have talked often about how the climate crisis affects water-related events, we either experience periods of extreme drought, or horrific storms and flooding. The work we do in wetlands restoration and creation can help prepare for these extremes. Our wetland features also work to provide vital wildlife habitat and support the growth of local biodiversity.

05/20/2026

Happy World Bee Day! Celebrated annually on May 20, this is a great reminder of the importance of bees as pollinators in the ecosystem. Bees (like many creatures) are threatened by habitat loss and pesticide use, and their numbers are declining. Bees pollinate over 75% of the world's food crops, without bees we don't eat! You can help bees by avoiding the use of pesticides, planting native flowers, and supporting local beekeepers by purchasing honey local to your region. We are always amazed to see bees coming to exposed soil when we break ground, for essential minerals and moisture. We also see honeybees drinking at the shore line of our newly created wetlands.
(Carpenter Bee photo from Headwaters Native Plants, WV)
bee

Address

Harrisonburg, VA
22802

Website

https://www.virginiavernalpools.com/

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