The Pond

9th June 2005

The Grass Is Back

It's been a while since I've had the chance to visit the Pond again. In this time, the grass has decided to go crazy and grow like mad. Although it mnay look overgrown, it has created a habitat for a lot of the creatures that live there. The grass has been cleared away from any plants that were in danger of being swamped by its tall leaves.

It's Alive...

As you approach the pond, it may seem to be quite still. But as you look closer on the surface and in the water, you find that it is bursting with activity. Numerous insects were seen on the pond surface, including small midges and pondskaters (who was very shy about having his photo taken!) Under the green surface, there was a lot to be found.

We're Still Here

The water is not as clear as it was when I last took photographs. The pond is maturing well as sediment builds up on the pond floor, providing an extra habitat for some creatures. The green pond weed on the surface makes it seem darker than it is, giving the tadpoles lots of places to hide from any hungry birds. Can you see the tadpoles in the picture?

Caught You!

There are still loads of tadpoles in the pond, now looking much bigger and fatter than when we saw them last time. Some look as though they could have tiny legs growing. They are more shy than they used to be - they didn't mind me taking photos before, but now they swim away from any sudden movements I make. Does this give us a clue as to which tadpoles will survive and grow in to frogs?

This Weed Drives Us Quackers!

It looks quite innocent, just lying there silently on the pond's surface with it's roots dangling down in the water below. The Common Duckweed is amazing by how fast it can grow and completely cover a pond's surface. Although is provides cover and safety for many of the animals that live in the pond, if it totally blocks out all of the light in the pond, it can cause other plants and animals to suffer.

The Forest Grows

If you're a plant, the way to survive in a pond covered in Common Duckweed is to grow above it. This ferny pond weed is doing just that, looking like a miniature prehistoric forest on a flat ladscape.

Useless Or Useful?

The Common Duckweed started off as a few plants from the old pond and grew to completely cover the new pond. Mr S. has worked hard to take out a pile of pond weed, which he has dumped here by the side of the pond. Now considering our garden is organic and we need organic fertilisers, I wonder if we could use this? We'll find out on Monday.

Very Viburnum

This Guelder-Rose (the botanists call it Viburnum opulus; other people call it Dogberry or Water Elder) is one of the bushes planted last autumn which has now burst in to flower. It wil produce some berries (not for eating!) and then have fantastic red leaves in the autumn. In the wild it can grow up to 4 metres high by riverbanks and in old hedgerows.

Am I Looking A Bit Tatty?

The Ragged Robin gets its name by the way its petals are very deeply didvided and look as though they are pieces of thread hanging off from the flower head. It's a plant that's been disappearing from its natural habitat, in damp and marshy places. However, lots of gardeners (like us) have taken an interest in it and are making sure that there is still lots of it planted around the country.

I May Look Angelic, But Don't Get Too Close

The Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) bushes that were planted have burst in to masses of white flowers. These will eventally form masses of colourful berries (a bright orange or red - that's where the 'fire' bit comes from) that will feed the birds throughout the winter months. Don't get too close to these though. They have lots of very strong thorns hidden under their leaves and flowers which hurt a lot if they catch you. I speak from experience - I have pruned a great number of these and my hands always look as though I have been fighting with a cat afterwards, even if I've been wearing gloves! A point of interest: the Firethorn on the left has clusters of white flowers whilst the Firethorn on the right seems to have lots of seperate ones.

Can We Still Get Through?

The path to the old pond has become a bit of an adventure these days. The grass has grown very tall and tries to stop anybody from getting through. It's almost as if it's trying to guard a secret by stopping people from going through. However, brave as I was on that day, I decided to risk it and pushed my way through the grass.

The Old Secret Pond

It really does seem as though the old pond is a secret place that everybody has forgotten about and no one has visited for many years. (Think of 'The Secret Garden' - you'll get the idea) The pond weed there has totally covered the pond, so without leaning over the side of the pond and risking falling in, I don't know if anything still lives there. I suspect it does. But what...

What Colour Are Your Irisis?

We took some of these Irisis (helpfully called the 'Yellow Iris') to the new pond, so when they flower, this is the colour they will be. The striking yellow colour almost acts like a light in the tree covered, darkened area around the old pond.

Some people call the Yellow Iris the 'Yellow Flag' or 'Jacob's Sword' and you can commonly find it growing near and around wetlands around the country.

A Blessed Plant

It's flowers have just about gone, but its red seed heads are still everywhere around. This is the seed head of Herb Bennett, or Wood Avens as some would call it. The plant has a small, yellow flower with five petals. It has quite a smelly root (in a nice and spicy sort of way) and was greatly used in medieval times as a medicinal herb. It was so useful that a lot of people called it a 'blessed herb'.