These tiny creatures appear during the rainy seasons, usually in early spring and fall. Scientists believe the adult shrimp die and leave tiny eggs when the rain-fed pools dry up. After a cycle of dryness and cold temperatures, the rains return and the eggs hatch. Shallow circular pits are found on the granite mountain. Caused by weathering and erosion, most pits are about three to six feet in diameter and one to three inches deep.
Some pits contain enough soil to provide homes for rare and unusual plants.
These flowers are similar to yellow and white daisies. In early fall the extremely rare Viguiera porteri, or Confederate Yellow Daisy, blooms on Stone Mountain. These cheery flowers spring up from rock crevices, adding splashes of bright yellow to the barren granite. The Yellow Daisies also bloom in wooded areas throughout the Park. About 15 other genera of plants growing on the mountain outcrops could be considered rare and restricted to the North Georgia area.