Closeup of Pool
These pictures were taken from the end of the boardwalk closest to the main Vernal Pool Trail. All except the first two pictures were taken from the vicinity of the first bend in the boardwalk.
After the water fills the pool, only a few rocks taller than 16" break the surface. Algae quickly begins to form a scum on the pool surface, which collects near the boardwalk due to the prevailing winds. The dark green spike rush begins to clear the surface and soon turns the pool green, even when the pool still contains water. The vernal pool popcorn flower adds its white color to the pool when it blooms, from 4/23 to 5/10, lightening the green color beginning at the near edge and proceeding toward the center of the Pool.
The downingia is in full bloom from 5/18 through 6/12, creating purple patches that migrate through the pool. (The low angle of the photographs below cause spike rush to largely obscure the flowers, which are very prominent up close, as in the picture linked above.) The patch from the picture linked above can be seen on day 111 below. The spike rush then turns brown, and is knocked over by the prevailing winds.
Palomar Mountain is sometimes visible on the horizon at the left edge of the pictures. Palomar Mountain is made of three bumps - the leftmost is Agua Tibia, the center is Morgan Hill, and the rightmost is Boucher Hill (Palomar State Park). The appearance (or non-appearance) of these mountains show the changes in visibility with time. The sky part of the pictures gives a good indication of what the weather was like as well.
| Day # Date | Pool Depth | Pix |
|---|---|---|
| 3 2/16 | 2.1" | 
|
| 10 2/23 | 3.3" | 
|
| 16 3/1 | 15.8" | 
|
| 35 3/20 | 13.4" | 
|
| 42 3/27 | 12.2" | 
|
| 57 4/11 | 11.8" | 
|
| 69 4/23 | 10.2" | 
|
| 74 4/28 | 9.0" | 
|
| 86 5/10 | 5.7" | 
|
| 111 6/4 | 0" | 
|
| 145 7/12 | 0" | 
|
| 227 10/2 | 0" | 
|