Los Penasquitos Vernal Pools

Map     Satellite

These vernal pools lie approximately 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) north of the Kearny Mesa Vernal Pools on a plateau separated from the Kearny Mesa.

Chaparral covers much of the plateau and surrounds the vernal pools.  Among the rare or uncommon species that may occur in these pools are Brodiaea orcuttii, Eryngium aristulatum var. parishii, Ophioglossum californicum, and Pogogyne abramsii.

This highly dissected plateau is composed of sandstone and other marine sedimentary rocks of the Linda Vista Formation, dating from the Pleistocene.

Integrity:  There is a road in the area, and development threatens.  Some of the pools are virtually undisturbed.

Use:  Private

Ref: Purer, E. D. 1939. Ecological Study of Vernal Pools in San Diego County, California. Ecology 20: pp. 217-229.

April 1981

Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman

Contact Us