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Fairy shrimp found in a CILTI-protected fen
The Secret Lives of Fairy Shrimp
Written By: Phillip Weldy
Date Published: March 22, 2026
Phillip Weldy
When you’re walking in the woods in the spring, it’s clear that life is all around you. Giant trees tower above you. The birds sing with their melodious voices. At your feet, ephemeral flowers bloom in radiant hues of color. Surrounded by beauty, it’s easy to be captivated by the things readily available to our senses.
And if these things are all you notice during your time in the woods, it’s time well spent.
But nature has many secrets that aren’t apparent at first. It’s worth taking a closer look—even at that puddle along the trail.
One of the most unassuming habitats within our Indiana flatwoods are vernal pools. These are pools of water that fill in the spring and recede completely as the year goes on. They vary in size ranging from sizeable pond to small puddle.
But regardless of size, they can hold wonders. If you pause a bit, sometimes up to a minute for your eyes to adjust, you’ll start to see the life that dwells in these pools. They can be home to all sorts of species who need calm waters to complete a part of their life cycle. Many amphibians, insects, and other critters spend part of their lives in these seasonal pools.
When we think about creatures of the forest, crustaceans tend to be at the bottom of the list, if they even make the list. But there are several crustaceans that live in our woodlands. Many of them use vernal pools. One of these is fairy shrimp!
Fairy shrimp (Eubranchipus vernalis) are tiny freshwater crustations. At only 0.12 to 1.5 inches long, they live their entire life in these temporary pools of water. They’re classified in the order Anostraca, and their origins date back to fossils found from the Cambrian Period. That’s a lineage even older than fish!
You’ll know fairy shrimp by several characteristics, including their often bright-orange coloring. They can also be red, bronze, white, green, or blue. Their eyes are on raised stalks, and they swim “upside-down.”
But there’s a brief window to find them, because they are only active for a short period of time. They hatch as larvae in late winter or early spring, then spend up to two weeks in molting phases, then one to three weeks as a reproducing adult. Adult populations generally disappear by mid-May. That’s when water temperatures warm to the upper 60s and predation increases. Fairy shrimp make up just one part of a whole ecological web of life in a vernal pool—and their predators are dragonfly and salamander larvae.
The species’ entire existence is dependent on a disappearing pool of water, so it has adapted its life cycle to that fact. After the eggs are fertilized, they become fully developed embryos, known as cysts, which settle in the sediment at the bottom of the pool. They remain there throughout the year after the water has dried up. Because vernal pools are a fleeting habitat, embryo dormancy (rather than egg dormancy) is key to survival. With the cysts lying dormant, fairy shrimp can emerge immediately when conditions are right.
Of course, seasonal pools are always at risk of drying up before the shrimp can reproduce. But fairy shrimp have another evolutionary trick up their tiny sleeves. Only a portion of the total population of cysts hatch in a given year. That means a bank of unhatched shrimp can last several decades, ensuring survival.
Despite the seasonality of vernal pools, as long as the habitat lasts, fairy shrimp will likely survive. Which is another reason why wetlands are important and worth protecting. That goes even for the unassuming puddles in a forest.
So the next time you pass a pool of water on a hike (perhaps while Trekking our Trails), be sure to take a moment to peer inside it. Whether or not you spy an elusive fairy shrimp, you might be surprised to see all the life that calls this fragile habitat home.
Ben Valentine
Guest Blogger
Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.
DJ Connors
Guest Blogger
DJ Connors, a Central Indiana native and late-to-life hunter, combines a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and the outdoors with a deep passion for exploring the natural beauty of the area he has called home for most of his life. As a husband and father of three, he is committed to ensuring his children have the same opportunities to connect with nature and appreciate the outdoors in their community. DJ’s unique journey into hunting emphasizes sustainability, responsible stewardship, and the importance of preserving these experiences for future generations.
Bridget Walls
Guest Blogger
Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Jordan England
Guest Blogger
Jordan England is a lifelong Shelby County resident who graduated from Waldron Jr. Sr. High School (just a few miles from Meltzer Woods!). After earning her B.S. degree in Retail Management from Purdue University, she returned to Waldron to start a family with her husband, Brian. Together they have 3 young children and enjoy sharing with them their love of the community. Jordan is the Grants and Nonprofit Relations Director at Blue River Community Foundation, managing BRCF’s grant program, providing support to local nonprofits, and promoting catalytic philanthropy in Shelby County.
Cliff Chapman
President and CEO
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.
Stacy Cachules
Chief Operating Officer
Among her many key duties as Assistant Director, Stacy has the critical task of tracking our budget, making sure we channel donations for maximum efficiency. When her workday’s done, Stacy loves to spend time with her two young boys—and when not traveling, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure.
Ryan Fuhrmann
Board Chair
Ryan C. Fuhrmann, CFA, is President and founder of Fuhrmann Capital LLC, an Indiana-based investment management firm focused on portfolio management. Ryan’s interest in land conservation centers around a desire to help preserve natural habitats for wildlife and the subsequent benefits it brings to people and the environment.
Joanna Nixon
Board Member
Joanna Nixon is the owner of Nixon Consulting, an Indianapolis-based strategy and project management firm focused on the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the Philanthropic Advisor for the Efroymson Family Fund. Prior to opening her consulting practice in 2000, Joanna was vice-president for grantmaking at Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). Joanna has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and arts and culture sector. She is passionate about the environment and loves bringing big ideas to life and creating high-quality arts and culture programs and experiences. Joanna enjoys outdoor adventures, including competing in fitness obstacle course races and hiking with her high energy Australian Cattle Dog, Jackson.
Karen Wade
Board Member
Before retiring, CILTI board member Karen Wade worked for Eli Lilly & Co. In retirement she volunteers for a number of organizations, including the Indiana Master Naturalist program, Johnson County Native Plant Partnership CISMA, Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center, and Leadership Johnson County.
David Barickman
Development Director
Born and raised in Central Illinois, David spent many days as a child wandering around the river, forest and lakes there. He works behind the scenes as a key member of our fundraising team. When not working, David loves to be outdoors hiking, fly fishing, kayaking or woodworking.
Jamison Hutchins
Stewardship Director
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He comes to our team after eight years as Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Indianapolis, where his work had a positive impact from both health and environmental perspectives.
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together. She is accredited in public relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, and loves to camp and hike in perfect weather conditions.
Shawndra Miller
Communications Director
Shawndra’s earliest writing projects centered around the natural world, starting when a bird inspired her to write her first “book” in elementary school. Now she is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
Phillip Weldy
Stewardship Manager
Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. As an AmeriCorps member in Asheville, NC, he had his first full immersion in relatively undisturbed land while reconstructing wilderness trails in National Parks and National Forests.
January 8, 2026
We knew at the outset that our goal would require everyone to dig deep. The Efroymson Family Fund offered a generous $350,000 matching challenge, our largest year-end challenge to date. It was a big stretch.
Fred & Dorothy Meyer Nature Preserve,Homepage,Newsroom,Properties
December 24, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Banker Potter donates Bedford Falls properties for perpetual preservation Banking tycoon Henry “Old Man” Potter has donated a swath of land previously set aside for a housing development to the Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc, (CILTI) for perpetual protection.
Newsroom
December 22, 2025
As nature-lovers ourselves, we appreciated the chance to reflect on our top nature moments. Enjoy these “postcards” from our staff, which first appeared in the fall 2025 newsmagazine.
Betley Woods,Meltzer Woods,Newsroom
