Re: New Pond and Bog

Just been looking through your blog. I'm so envious of your pond as I only have a small garden and hence a small pond. I notice you dont get plagued by duck weed like I do. I notice further back that you didnt think the pond would support small fish. If you add a pump and filter it shouldn't be a problen though I expect you have though of that. Well done anyway!

Thank you .

I know small is relative......my garden is small and so is the pond about 2.4 M (8ft) in diameter. It almost fills the front garden. It is very shallow, mostly under 6 inches deep apart fron a small area that goes to just over a foot deep. I don't get pagued by duck weed because as soon as I see the most microscopic bit of it I net it out. The other pest for me was a super abundance of pond snails that just ate everything that tried to grow so I net them out when I see them. I think I could have filled a 2 gallon bucket by now. I leave the Ramshorn snails because they are less greedy :-)...and I like them. I really wouldn't want a pump and filter as this is supposed to be a natural pond and although wild fish are interesting I'm much more interested in the amphipians and mini-beasts.

A Four Spotted Chaser (male) Libellula quadrimaculata

...and a real pest but still beautiful......a Vine Weevil

Wildlife friendly

What a difference FP, it has all filled out beautifully, it is a real credit to you.

Sorry not to reply sooner but I've been struggling with the new format....seem to be getting the hang of it now. Many, many thanks to you for your help in the early stages. I'm having to do much less caring and coaxing now and I'm getting surprises both in and around the pond almost daily.

FP

I bit the bullet and relined mine at the end of last year. I was concerned it would take a while to get the balance back but you’d never know it was ever disturbed. It is full of both Palmate and smooth newts at the moment.

I actually have two ponds. One is for fish which are mostly goldfish but I do have a shoal of small rudd and another of roach. My wildife pond has tadpoles, freshwater shrimps and snails mostly though I must have damsel fly lavae as I find their skins on the reeds.

Latest discoveries when pond dipping................

Newt Tadpoles!

Mayfly Nymph

Water Boatman

Frog tadpoles are at last getting their legs

After a few weeks of not seeing any the frogs are back and I'm finding some tiny ones in the vegetation surrounding the pond

The newts seem to be growing

It's been a much less active year in the pond as far as inverts and amphibs but the plants have done well particularly the Frog's bit that has flowered at last over a long period. Pictures shows it settling nicely for the winter.

Hi Frog Prince,

Great to see it settling down so nicely and great pictures of the residents further up the post!....Always interested in others pond as I have had a few and been involved in a few over the years!.....

At last I also have a winter project of a small wildlife pond and bog area at the bottom of my garden this year!...Yippee!!

I'm new over here. This is amazing. You must be thrilled!

Thanks.

I don't post here much now unless something unusual happens. Hope, if anyone is thinking of making a pond, that they will find it useful

Not Quite Valentine's Day!

I'm glad to report that I found three pairs of mating frogs in my pond today. It was pouring with rain and they didn't stay around to be photographed .....watch this space :-)

Got a couple of shots ....it's so exciting to see them...it's made me really happy :-)

This was under water at some distance

Brilliant to see Frog Prince it's great to see the updates keep them coming