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By Lisa Harmison
I know this is probably something that happens to all pond owners, but I think it is neat anyway.
A year ago the hole for my pond was dug. I lined it and filled and put the plants in for winter, not really planning to do much but keep my water lilies and irises happy. This spring I cleaned out the pond. I also picked up some water lilies (pretty small ones from a plant sale). My son and I made a small waterfall after I bought a pump. The chipmunks like the rocks we used as a hiding place.
I also added fish, five goldfish from Greg Knop and one we had had. The pond looked nice, just new and not real lush yet. Water striders appeared out of nowhere to help reduce the mosquito population. I watched one catch and eat a small grasshopper that had accidentally jumped in the water. How do the water striders move from one body of water to another? There are a lot of those striders. It would be cool to put a camera on one and see the world from its perspective.
In late June (during a hot weekend, as I recall), my daughter and I transplanted a lot of shrubs and perennials from our yard to around the pond to enhance its surroundings. We also planted a bunch of annuals to fill in the bare spots. A touch of mulch finished things off. Everything looked great just in time for the pond to turn pea green!
It is great to have friends with ponds... Ada Mae Lewis shared some of her water lettuce, water hyacinths, and some tadpoles with me. The surface of my pond was now pretty well covered. I have no idea if the tadpoles survived, as it was too green to see them. I don't even know if the fish are there. We have raccoons and herons. I hope I made the pond too inaccessible for them.
A few weeks later, the pond was clear again. At this point, though, the pond was neglected as we started building our house. I watched the lilies bloom from our bedroom window. The pink just won't stop! I did keep things watered but didn't really look at the pond. Until last week...
It was one of those hot days and I was pretty tired (building a house is hard work). My daughter and I were watering and checking out the monarch caterpillars eating the butterfly flowers she had planted earlier. Then we topped of the pond. We scared a couple leopard frogs, how fun! I don't know when they moved in, but they are very welcome!
We just stood and watched the water flow out the hose and over the rocks into the pond. It sounded cool and refreshing on a 90-degree day. Isn't it neat how the hose makes little swirls that push the water lettuce and hyacinths across the pond? Oh look! The fish are near the surface... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, good, they are all still there! The water looks really clear, I can see down quite a ways... I can see... little baby fish! What a pleasant surprise!
Yesterday I was out watering again. While topping off the pond, I saw four little ones (they are hard to count). I guess the big fish are happy in the pond! We have two little bullfrogs and three leopard frogs. I watched one of the leopard frogs try to catch a butterfly that was on some lantana. It missed. One of the bullfrogs likes to sit under the edge of the waterfall.
So now that summer is winding down, I have new fish, frogs, and water striders living in the pond. Birds of all sizes stop by for a drink or a bath. Dragonflies patrol overhead, butterflies flitter between the flowers. They will come...