Previous Reports of Fairy Shrimp
Horne’s Pond IX
Section 28 Hourglass Pond
Section 28 Southwest Pond
Horne’s Pond XII
Horne’s Pond XIII
Horne’s Pond XIV
Horne’s Other Interesting Pond
What Can We Learn from the Ponds in the Southern Laramie Basin?
The Laramie Basin is in southeastern Wyoming between the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Laramie Range. It is separated from the Shirley Basin to the north and the Hanna Basin to the northwest by various hills. To the south, the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Laramie Range merge into the Colorado Front Range. For the purpose of this web site, the Southern Laramie Basin is defined as the area south of Wyoming 230, west of Interstate 80, north of the Colorado border and east of Jelm Mountain. This area is approximately 34 km (21 miles) by 26 km (16 miles).
The southern Laramie Basin is speckled with ponds of many sizes and several reservoirs. Some of the reservoirs are stocked with fish. A moderate proportion of the ponds are in local hollows disconnected from streams and consequently good places for fairy shrimp. The hollows were mostly scoured out by wind during glacial phases over the last 100,000 years or so. There was less vegetation to hold the soil down when the climate was colder. An extreme example is “The Big Hollow” west of Laramie. It is 16 km (10 miles) long, 4 km (2.5 miles) wide, and 60 m (200′) deep. The Laramie Basin is still windy and this helps creates snowbanks along the edges of some hollows during the usual winter blizzards. Come spring, the snowbanks are a source of water for ponds.
The southern Laramie Basin is generally below the 2,400 m (7,870′) contour to the west, the 2,340 m (7,680′) contour to the south, and the 2,300 m (7,550′) contour to the east. The lowest elevation is about 2,180 m (7,150′) in the northeastern corner next to the Laramie River and Laramie.
Mean Annual Precipitation according to the Wyoming Climate Atlas by the Water Resources Data System and State Climate Office at http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/sco/climateatlas/precipitation.html, Parameter-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model, PRISM, with 1971-2000 data at very widely spaced weather stations (I have eyeballed the values from a very small scale map with 11 precipitation bins marked with indistinct colors and further obscured by a shaded relief base map):
11″-15″ (28-38 cm)
This precipitation range seems too low. It is the same as most of the Antelope Hills, the Granite Mountains, Killpecker Dunes, and Seminoe Dunes but those areas are dominated by sagebrush and the southern Laramie Basin has extensive short-grass prairie. Compare photographs of the Granite Mountains (e.g., Dead Ant Rock Pool 1987-08-19, #3519) and Antelope Hills (e.g., North “Scotty Lake” West Pond 1987-06-28, #2703) with the one for the southern Laramie Basin (Horne’s Pond XIV 1988-06-04, #0101)
Vegetation in the southern Laramie Basin is short-grass prairie with sagebrush locally and around the periphery. Cottonwoods and other riparian vegetation occur along the Laramie River and the major creeks. The major creeks also have hay pastures.
The southern Laramie Basin is private land except for scattered sections and smaller parcels of state land and rare parcels of public land. It is used for ranching, not recreation. It is not a place I would normally visit in a search for fairy shrimp.
Previous Reports of Fairy Shrimp
Francis Horne conducted branchiopod field research in the southern Laramie Basin for his dissertation at the University of Wyoming. His research also included alpine ponds in the Medicine Bow Mountains. Some of this research was published in Ecology in 1967 (see Horne, 1967, on the References page). Horne identified the following branchiopod species in prairie ponds but did not publish maps:
Anostraca (fairy shrimp) –
- Artemia salina (North American populations now considered to be Artemia franciscana),
- Branchinecta lindahli,
- Branchinecta packardi,
- Branchinecta coloradensis,
- Streptocephalus texanus,
- Thamnocephalus platyurus,
Conchostraca (clam shrimp), now orders Spinicaudata and Laevicaudata –
- Caenestheriella setosa (since renamed Cyzicus setosa),
- Leptestheria compleximanus,
and Notostraca (tadpole shrimp) –
- Triops longicaudatus.
Horne collected a few specimens that remained unidentified. These were eventually passed on to Denton Belk, who was also a branchiopod specialist. During the time when I was sending specimens to Denton Belk for identification, he asked me if I would visit the pond where Horne’s unidentified fairy shrimp had been collected and collect some more. I agreed.
Horne’s Pond IX (State of Wyoming)
___This map is a screenshot of The National Map (Go to The National Map). The U.S. Geological Survey generally does not copyright or charge for its data or reports (unless printed). A pond location is indicated by an “X”, which corresponds to the coordinates given in the data spreadsheet. Labels in quotations are from 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles.
___Red lines are the U. S. National Grid with a spacing of 1,000 m and intersection labels consisting of the UTM zone (e.g., 11S, 12T), a 2-letter 100-km square designation (e.g., LC, XN), and a 4-digit number. The first 2 digits of the number represent the 1,000-meter Easting and the second 2 digits the 1,000-meter Northing, as seen in the example Easting and Northing. Unlike latitude and longitude, the National Grid is rectilinear on a flat map, the units of abscissa and ordinate have equal lengths, and the units (meters) are measurable on the ground with a tape or by pacing.
___Gray shading represents private land as traced from the PAD-US 2.0 – Federal Fee Managers layer of The National Map. The non-private land around “Hutton Lake” is a National Wildlife Refuge. The 3 farthest east bits of non-private land are public and all other non-private land is owned by the State of Wyoming.
Horne’s Pond IX is along the Sand Creek Road 18 km (11 miles) southwest of Laramie and almost adjacent to the “Hutton Lake” National Wildlife Refuge. On the 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle, it is a 100 m by 60 m (330′ x 200′) intermittent lake.
Horne’s Pond IX is easy to find. It is 150 m (490′) from the Sand Creek Road south of “Hutton Lake”. “Hutton Lake” is a National Wildlife Refuge and fishing area with a well marked turn-off. Pond IX is at a bend in the road about 2.7 miles southwest of the “Hutton Lake” turn-off. Getting on to the Sand Creek Road, though, is tricky. Take US 287 south out of Laramie and turn west onto the railroad frontage road less than 1/2 mile after passing under I-80. After driving about 2 miles and passing the cement plant, turn southwest onto the Sand Creek Road.
Elevation: 2,223 m (7,293′)
June 4, 1988
Although Horne’s unidentified species had been collected from Horne’s Pond XII on August 5, I decided to go earlier and to also visit a few nearby ponds as a way to hedge my bet given the effort to get here. The iris and buttercups are blooming.
- Dry.
Looking southwest across the southern Laramie Basin from the Laramie Range east of Laramie. The snowy mountains at left are in Colorado and the bump on the horizon at right is Jelm Mountain. Laramie is in the middle distance. No ponds are visible from this distant vantage point but there are lots out there.
Section 28 Hourglass Pond (private)
Section 28 Hourglass Pond is 950 m (3,120′) southeast of Horne’s Pond IX in the southern half of section 28 (T14N, R74W). It is shown on the 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle as an hourglass-shaped intermittent lake approximately 480 m (1,570′) long and less than 120 m (390′) wide.
Section 28 Hourglass Pond is on private land.
For access, see Horne’s Pond IX. Hike south from there.
Elevation: 2,229 m (7,314′)
June 4, 1988
A dry Pond IX was worrisome so I figured I had better check out any pond with water. This pond is shallow and drying up and smells of hydrogen sulfide.
- Size and depth not estimated.
- Water clarity not noted.
- Fairy shrimp 17 mm long; females have eggs.
- Abundant unidentified zooplankton, rare amphipods, phalaropes, avocets (and eggs), ducks, blackbirds, killdeer.
The fairy shrimp seem to be dying. I found a dead female with an ovisac full of eggs and 2 males who were barely moving.
May 14, 1989
The pond is just a mudflat this year.
- Dry.
Section 28 Southwest Pond (State of Wyoming)
Section 28 Southwest Pond is 600 m (1,970′) south of Horne’s Pond IX in the southwestern quarter of section 28. It is another intermittent lake on the 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle but is only 140 m (460′) long and 50 m (160′) wide.
Section 28 Southwest Pond appears to be on state land but it is close to private land.
For access, see Horne’s Pond IX. Section 28 Southwest Pond is less than 1 km (0.6 mile) due south of Horne’s Pond IX.
Elevation: 2,228 m (7,310′)
June 4, 1988
Just a small weedy pond but it is worth a look.
- Size and depth not estimated.
- Water clarity not noted.
- Fairy shrimp.
- No other animals noted.
May 14, 1989
One of the few ponds in the area with water this year.
- Size and depth not estimated.
- Water clear.
- 3 small ghost-gray fairy shrimp.
- Cladocerans, wriggly larvae.
Horne’s Pond XII (State of Wyoming)
Horne’s Pond XII is 20 km (12 miles) southwest of Laramie and 1,750 m (5,740′) southwest of Horne’s Pond IX. Pond XII is in a large hollow 1,550 m (5,090′) long, 900 m (2,950′) wide, and 20 m (65′) deep. The 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle shows a small intermittent lake within the hollow. The intermittent lake symbol is less than 80 m (260′) across but there is clearly the possibility of a pond here being much larger.
Horne’s Pond XII is on state land.
For access, see Horne’s Pond IX. You may want to continue to drive down the “Sand Lake” road for a mile or so past Horne’s Pond IX and then hike less than 1 km (0.6 mile) southeast to Horne’s Pond XII.
Elevation: 2,220 m (7,283′)
June 4, 1988
Fairy shrimp specimens collected from this pond by Francis Horne in the 1960s could be a currently unidentified species so Denton Belk asked me to collect additional specimens for more thorough study. There is quite a bit of water here. Fingers crossed.
- 100 m x 300 m; depth not estimated but it looks deep, possibly up to 200 cm.
- Water clear with brown tint.
- No fairy shrimp.
- Abundant 3-4 mm ostracods, small dark beetles, tiny red spheres that may be water mites, avocets, ducks.
August 21, 1988
Because the previously unidentified species was collected in August, I figured I should come back and check the pond in August. The pond still has plenty of water and is large. It looks about as large as it was back in June but with more vegetation along the shore.
- 100 m x 300 m; depth 60 cm as far as I waded and probably deeper.
- Water clear with brown tint.
- No fairy shrimp.
- Clam shrimp (Conchostraca) shells, small dark beetles, damselfly larvae(?), abundant small red zooplankton, ducks, cows.
May 14, 1989
If June 1988 didn’t work, try May. Unfortunately, the water level looks lower than last August.
- Size and depth not estimated.
- Water clear.
- No fairy shrimp.
- “Not much of anything in the water” according to my notes.
July 5, 1989
The water level is even lower now.
- Size and depth not estimated.
- Murky brown.
- No fairy shrimp.
- Other animals not noted.
June 6, 1990
Another spring, another look. The water is very low.
- Size and depth not estimated.
- Water clarity not noted.
- No fairy shrimp.
- Other animals not noted.
September 20, 1990
I was driving through Laramie so I detoured to have a look. The pond is almost dried up.
- Size and depth not estimated.
- Water clarity not noted.
- No fairy shrimp.
- Other animals not noted.
June 22, 1995
It’s been a few years but I’ll give it another try. The water level looks very low, even below the gully at the northwest end of the pond.
- Size not estimated; depth less than 40 cm.
- Murky brown; 21 C at 1800.
- Abundant fairy shrimp.
- Abundant backswimmers (sub-order Heteroptera, family Notonectidae).
Upon examination with a binocular microscope, the fairy shrimp from Pond XII appeared to be Branchinecta campestris rather than a Streptocephalus species. B. campestris was collected from Pond XIV in 1988 so I didn’t send any off to DB to confirm my identification.
The presence of fairy shrimp in low water this time but not on previous occasions raises questions. Did I miss the fairy shrimp on previous visits? The past 7 years of observations suggest the pond persists through most years but dries up occasionally. By analogy with Donald (1983), would different fairy shrimp species hatch after periods of desiccation versus periods of multiyear persistence? B. campestris is tolerant of high TDS. Maybe it is what hatches during the first refill after the pond dries up as dissolution of previously precipitated minerals would raise the TDS. Maybe the unidentified species hatches under different conditions that haven’t been repeated on my visits.
Horne’s Pond XIII (private)
Horne’s Pond XIII is about 1,875 m (6,150′) south of of Horne’s Pond XII. It and Pond XIV are in the same large hollow. The 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle shows 2 intermittent lake symbols less than 50 m (160′) across at the northern end of the hollow. I assume both are parts of Horne’s Pond XIII.
Horne’s Pond XIII is on private land.
For access, see Horne’s Pond XII. Horne’s Pond XIII is almost 2 km (1.2 miles) south of Horne’s Pond XII. It is closer to the “Sand Lake” road so you may want to drive farther down the road from Pond XII rather than hiking through the lush grass and flowers.
Elevation: 2,231 m (7,321′)
June 4, 1988
Lots of algae.
- Size and depth not estimated.
- Clear brown water.
- I saw 2 fairy shrimp in the western pond and none in the eastern pond.
- Other animals not noted.
August 21, 1988
Too late for this pond.
- Dry.
Horne’s Pond XIV (private)
Horne’s Pond XIV is about 300 m (980′) southwest of Pond XIII in the same large hollow. Pond XIV is in the middle and southern parts of the hollow where the 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles show an intermittent lake symbol 110 m (360′) wide and about 190 m (620′) long.
Horne’s Pond XIV is on private land.
For access, see Horne’s Pond XIII. Horne’s Pond XIV is only a few hundred meters (1,000′) southwest of Horne’s Pond XIII.
Elevation: 2,232 m (7,321′)
June 4, 1988
There is just a little floating algae on this pond and no rushes rising from the water. I measured water temperature near the shore but the deeper water felt significantly cooler.
- 50 m x 150 m; depth not estimated but probably at least 100 cm and likely more.
- Clear water with brown tint; 23 C at 1500.
- Pale gray fairy shrimp of 2 sizes; larger females have eggs.
- Ostracods, dytiscid larvae (order Coleoptera, family Dytiscidae), beetles (some very large), tiny red spheres that may be water mites.
Specimens were identified as Branchinecta campestris by DB. Interestingly, Branchinecta campestris was not one of the species mentioned in Horne (1967). Is there some kind of species succession going on here?
Horne’s Pond XIV on the short-grass prairie southwest of Laramie. Pond XIII is apparently out of sight to the upper left. Laramie Range in the distance.
August 21, 1988
Did the fairy shrimp I saw in June make it through the summer?
- Size and depth not estimated.
- Water clear with brown tint.
- No fairy shrimp.
- Other animals not noted.
Horne’s Other Interesting Pond (private)
Horne’s Other Interesting Pond is in a small depression 300 m (980′) northwest of the Sand Creek Road and 1,700 m (5,580′) west of Horne’s Pond XII. For this pond, the intermittent lake symbol on the 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle is only 70 m (230′) long and 35 m (115′) wide. On the photocopied map that DB sent to help me find Horne’s Pond XII, he wrote, “There are some other interesting sites here” next to this pond.
Horne’s Other Interesting Pond is on private land.
For access, see Horne’s Pond IX. Horne’s Other Interesting Pond is about 2.9 miles up the road from Horne’s Pond IX.
Elevation: 2,211 m (7,253′)
June 4, 1988
This pond has mineral encrustations along its muddy banks and there is a high-water mark about 30-50 cm (12-20″) above the current water level.
- 50 m x 100 m; depth not estimated but probably at least 100 cm.
- Clear pale brown water getting cloudy due to wind.
- No fairy shrimp.
- A few beetles.
Although I didn’t find anything “interesting” in this pond, it wasn’t a waste of time. On my walk back to the vehicle, I spotted an antelope (pronghorn) with a fawn and they spotted me. The fawn got up shakily but didn’t run. It laid back down while its mother ran off. I was tempted to approach but just seeing the fawn was enough to put me in a good mood for the long drive.
May 14, 1989
Today, it’s a mudflat with just a little water here and there.
- Dry.
What Can We Learn from the Ponds in the Southern Laramie Basin?
The southern Laramie Basin has lots ponds but is not suitable for fairy shrimping. Almost all of the southern Laramie Basin is private land and not open to the public. The scattered sections of state land should not be considered open to the public either. Other than state parks, I know of no efforts by state government to facilitate or even acknowledge public access to state lands. Most state lands are leased to ranchers for grazing so ranchers’ interests are paramount.
Of the ponds I visited, 5 had fairy shrimp during at least 1 visit, 1 did not, and 1 was dry on the only visit. Clam shrimp (Conchostraca) shells were found in 1 pond that also had fairy shrimp.
I never did find more of the unnamed streptocephalid that Horne had collected in spite of 7 visits. The fairy shrimp I did find in Horne’s Pond XII was Branchinecta campestris, which Horne had not collected.
The Branchinecta campestris that was identified by Denton Belk from the sample I collected from Horne’s Pond XIV had not been previously found by Horne (1967). It may indicate that ponds in the area have higher TDS than in the 1960s.
Anostracan species identified by Denton Belk are:
Branchinecta campestris – Horne’s Pond XIV.