You may be surprised to find a wetland area in the middle of dry scrub. Its presence indicates that the sandy soil indeed does not retain water very well and it collects in areas like you see here. This type of wetland is referred to as ephemeral. Ephemeral wetlands are areas that disappear and reappear frequently, depending on the amount of rainfall. Because the wetlands on Lyonia Preserve frequently dry up, fish are rare or absent. These types of wetlands are a haven for many insects, amphibians, reptiles and birds. In fact many species of frogs only lay their eggs in ephemeral wetlands. Frogs that you may see or hear while in this area include the pinewoods tree frog (Hyla Pmoratis), pig frog (Rana grylio) and Southern leopard frog (Rana utricularia).

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