Families learned about vernal ponds and the creatures that depend on them during a hands-on presentation Monday led by Rick Roth of the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team and the Swampscott Conservancy.

Dozens gathered Monday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn in Swampscott to learn about the sounds of spring. A vernal pond is a temporary wetland that fills seasonally and serves as a critical breeding habitat for amphibians like salamanders and wood frogs. These ponds exist only briefly, filling with late-winter snowmelt and spring rain before drying out by summer.

“We’ve done so many different educational programs over the years,” Toni Bandrowicz, the chair of the Swampscott Conservation Commission, said. “Live animals – kids love them.”

The program began with a 15-minute film by the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team, followed by a chance to meet the experts — and wildlife — before heading into the woods behind the church to visit a local vernal pond.

Bandrowicz recalled spending entire days outdoors in the woods as a child.

“Kids don’t have that a lot around here,” she said. “This is close.”

The Cape Ann Vernal Pond team pointed out peepers, or tiny tree frogs that make high-pitched, whistle-like breeding calls. There were also clusters of salamander eggs. Roth said salamander eggs start at about the size of a quarter but expand overnight 

Amphibians rely on vernal ponds for breeding largely because they lack fish. This reduces predation, allowing newly hatched salamanders and frogs to flourish.

Bandrowicz wrote in her newsletter for the Swampscott Conservancy that vernal pools are under threat, “primarily from human development.”

“They’ve been plowed in, paved over and built upon,” she wrote. “Pollution from runoff and the spread of invasive species are also a threat, as are the warmer temperatures brought by climate change. The destruction of these valuable ecosystems results in a loss of the unique species that depend on the pools for their survival.”

The Swampscott Conservancy has certified the vernal pool near the church, adding an extra layer of protection. Vernal pools that are certified by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program are protected through the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act. 

In addition to the pool near the church, several vernal pools on private property in Swampscott have also been certified.

The Swampscott Conservancy has multiple upcoming events, including a spring migration bird walk at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, as well as a native plant sale at the Swampscott Farmers Market on Sunday, June 7 and a caterpillars up-close event on Monday, June 15.