Building a "wildlife pond"
Discussion
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
Our first water lily flower... Pretty!
Schoolboy error, you can't put non-native varieties in a wildlife pond, that's completely against the rules!It's a funny year (or two), my lilies have already started shutting down for winter, bearing in mind some of them kept struggling on the whole way through last winter.
Been watching this thread with interest and it's looking good!
We inherited a wildlife pond with a house. The pond was built in the 70's/80's and pretty much left to it's own devices for the past 10 years.
Apparently it's a very well balanced pond, due to the fish being able to breed? We don't use any filters etc.
We have all sorts of visitors; water vole, herons, grass snakes, ducks, damsel & dragon flies (including nymphs) to name just a few.
This photo was taken last year in Spring, hence the lack of colour/flowers, but you get the idea.
We inherited a wildlife pond with a house. The pond was built in the 70's/80's and pretty much left to it's own devices for the past 10 years.
Apparently it's a very well balanced pond, due to the fish being able to breed? We don't use any filters etc.
We have all sorts of visitors; water vole, herons, grass snakes, ducks, damsel & dragon flies (including nymphs) to name just a few.
This photo was taken last year in Spring, hence the lack of colour/flowers, but you get the idea.
Mr GrimNasty said:
Schoolboy error, you can't put non-native varieties in a wildlife pond, that's completely against the rules!
It's a funny year (or two), my lilies have already started shutting down for winter, bearing in mind some of them kept struggling on the whole way through last winter.
Yep, sorry - I'm not being anal about sticking to native plants! I've got one called "Justicia americana" with pretty orchid-like flowers which I suspect isn't native either. It's a funny year (or two), my lilies have already started shutting down for winter, bearing in mind some of them kept struggling on the whole way through last winter.
My lily has been losing its largest leaves and growing new, tiny ones just a couple of inches across. I read somewhere that this might be normal at this time of year, though I agree it does seem a bit early for it to be shutting down. I'll push a fertiliser tablet into its basket in the spring.
On the subject of plants, I've discovered a really good pond plant nursery on my way home from work, which sells every imaginable pond plant and is a great place to browse (they're open to visitors Wed to Sat).
Woody: that's not a pond, that's a lake! Must be wonderful in the height of summer.
The pond has had water in it for less than two months, and I snapped some kind of nymph sitting on a leaf stalk. Dragonfly I think - looks too stocky to be a damselfly. It was only about 5 mm long, so this picture is highly enlarged...
Fascinating facts about dragonfly nymphs: they breathe using gills inside their rectum, and can propel themselves by squirting water out of their anus.
Fascinating facts about dragonfly nymphs: they breathe using gills inside their rectum, and can propel themselves by squirting water out of their anus.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Monday 8th September 18:38
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
The pond has had water in it for less than two months, and I snapped some kind of nymph sitting on a leaf stalk. Dragonfly I think - looks too stocky to be a damselfly. It was only about 5 mm long, so this picture is highly enlarged...
Fascinating facts about dragonfly nymphs: they breathe using gills inside their rectum, and can propel themselves by squirting water out of their anus.
Sounds like they must be related to some of the bottom feeders that post on Piston Heads!Fascinating facts about dragonfly nymphs: they breathe using gills inside their rectum, and can propel themselves by squirting water out of their anus.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Monday 8th September 18:38
This was a newly hatched one from my pond last year, I think it was a female Southern Hawker, but it was so fresh it hadn't coloured up completely.
The nymph shell was as big as my little finger!
Awesome picture!
We get quite a few slender pinkish-red dragonflies a couple of inches long - common darters, I think. Never managed to get a picture of one; they seem to have such good eyesight and always take flight before you can get close enough. We did see two of those flying in tandem just above the water and doing a "dipping" motion a few weeks ago, so maybe this nymph is the result of the eggs they were laying.
We get quite a few slender pinkish-red dragonflies a couple of inches long - common darters, I think. Never managed to get a picture of one; they seem to have such good eyesight and always take flight before you can get close enough. We did see two of those flying in tandem just above the water and doing a "dipping" motion a few weeks ago, so maybe this nymph is the result of the eggs they were laying.
OP your photos of the pond look great, Looks like it'll be a real haven for wildlife in the coming years. I'd love one but with a little one, its a bit too much of a risk at the moment. Maybe a few years down the line.
Have you got any photos of the garden? Looks like you have some nice interest in the borders. How deep are they?
Have you got any photos of the garden? Looks like you have some nice interest in the borders. How deep are they?
I'm a novice gardener really! We've created a lot more depth in the borders by cutting out a more curvy, interesting shape from the lawn. The borders contain stuff like photinias, buddleias, rudbeckia, sedums, crocosmia... Here's an overview - lawn looks a bit ropey as it's still recovering from aggressive scarification:
Ironically you can't see the pond in that picture - it's obscured by the ceanothus hedge on the left hand side.
And here's a more recent pic of the pond. Quite pleased that the grass has tumbled over the edge - looks a lot more natural:
Ironically you can't see the pond in that picture - it's obscured by the ceanothus hedge on the left hand side.
And here's a more recent pic of the pond. Quite pleased that the grass has tumbled over the edge - looks a lot more natural:
Aaaarrgh! A problem!!
For some unknown reason, over the last 48 hours or so, the water has clarified dramatically. I can now see almost down to the very bottom of the pond, which is great.
But I can now see that a bullet-shaped rhizome from the tall ornamental grass next to the pond has pushed itself through the liner about 8 inches below he water line. Bugger! I should have thought of this, but I underestimated the power of nature!
So far, it doesn't seem to be causing an actual leak, as the water level stays fairly steady unless we get some hot, dry windy days. But I think something needs to be done to repair the damage and hopefully prevent it happening again.
Here's what I propose to do - any comments appreciated:
Picture:
For some unknown reason, over the last 48 hours or so, the water has clarified dramatically. I can now see almost down to the very bottom of the pond, which is great.
But I can now see that a bullet-shaped rhizome from the tall ornamental grass next to the pond has pushed itself through the liner about 8 inches below he water line. Bugger! I should have thought of this, but I underestimated the power of nature!
So far, it doesn't seem to be causing an actual leak, as the water level stays fairly steady unless we get some hot, dry windy days. But I think something needs to be done to repair the damage and hopefully prevent it happening again.
Here's what I propose to do - any comments appreciated:
- Cut down the ornamental grass (it dies back for winter anyway) so that the pond can be reached from that side.
- Pump water out of the pond into a water butt for safe-keeping, until the level is below the problem.
- Cut off the rhizome, and repair the hole by gluing a circular piece of liner over it and silicone around the edge.
- If possible, pull back the liner and insert a sheet of semi-rigid plastic behind it along the edge where he ornamental grass grows, to act as a barrier to stop further rhizomes coming through. Will visit "Hobbycraft" to see what materials they've got.
- Refill using the saved water and rain water, only topping up with tap water if absolutely necessary.
Picture:
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Thursday 11th September 07:52
What a nuisance, are you sure the 'grass' has penetrated the liner, not a root from one of the pond plants tracked down a fold or something? I suppose if it has, the reason it's not leaking noticeably is because you didn't really seem to need a liner in the first place! I know a lot of people say you should never put bulrushes in a lined pond because the roots can puncture it.
If it is the 'grass', you are going to have to completely dig out every scrap of root, else it will regenerate.
Silicone? Have a word with yourself. The good news is butyl can be near permanently repaired - kits readily available, just Google.
If it is the 'grass', you are going to have to completely dig out every scrap of root, else it will regenerate.
Silicone? Have a word with yourself. The good news is butyl can be near permanently repaired - kits readily available, just Google.
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