Carrie Ricker School teacher Kristen Archer helps third graders David Higgins, left, Kyrian Bratz, center, and Jacob Archer look for salamanders Thursday during a Vernal Pool Field Trip at Smithfield Plantation in Litchfield. Seventy-eight third graders visited the preserve guided by Smithfield trustees, members of the Litchfield Conservation Commission and employees of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Students searched for salamanders before hiking to a vernal pool where they discovered fairy shrimp, caddis fly larva, wood frog eggs and other critters that make their way to the vernal pool after ice out. Thursday was Higgins 9th birthday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Students from Carrie Ricker School examine a salamander Thursday during their Vernal Pool Field Trip at Smithfield Plantation in Litchfield. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Carrie Ricker School third grader Elsa Farrington, 9, crosses a downed tree while searching for specimens Thursday during a Vernal Pool Field Trip at Smithfield Plantation in Litchfield. Seventy-eight third graders visited the preserve guided by Smithfield trustees, members of the Litchfield Conservation Commission and employees of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Students discovered fairy shrimp, spotted salamanders, caddis fly larva and other critters that make their way to the vernal pool after ice out. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Students from Carrie Ricker School pick out a dip net Thursday during their Vernal Pool Field Trip at Smithfield Plantation in Litchfield. Students used the nets to catch critters such as fairy shrimp, dragonfly larva and caddis fly larva. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Carrie Ricker School third grader Isabella Bosse, 8, crosses a fallen tree Thursday during a Vernal Pool Field Trip at Smithfield Plantation in Litchfield. Students wore boots to keep their feet dry, but most children pushed the limits until water spilled over the top of their boots. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Carrie Ricker School third grader David Higgins and his grandmother, Renee Dubois, look for salamanders under a fallen tree Thursday during a Vernal Pool Field Trip at Smithfield Plantation in Litchfield. Seventy-eight third graders visited the preserve guided by Smithfield trustees, members of the Litchfield Conservation Commission and employees of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Students searched for salamanders before hiking to a vernal pool where they discovered fairy shrimp, caddis fly larva, wood frog eggs and other critters that make their way to the vernal pool after ice out. Thursday was Higgins 9th birthday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Carrie Ricker School third grader Harper Schneider, 9, searches for specimens Thursday during a Vernal Pool Field Trip at Smithfield Plantation in Litchfield. Seventy-eight third graders visited the preserve guided by Smithfield trustees, members of the Litchfield Conservation Commission and employees of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Students discovered fairy shrimp, spotted salamanders, caddis fly larva and other critters that make their way to the vernal pool after ice out. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal