I have been busy making my pond into more of a Wildlife pond
I used to have frogs but I havnt had any tadpoles this year and no frogs came back and cause my 2 fishes passed away Iv decided to make it into more of a Wildlife pond and I had to remove most of the Duckweed yesterday with my crabing net so I was wondering if anyone would like to see the progress of my Wildlife pond and the outcome after iv done everything so I thought Id do a post so people can keep up to date on it
here is my pond before I removed all the duckweed
After I got rid of most of the duckweed I found some water slaters and after I finished a bee fly took some interest in the pond and checked it out then a drone fly had a drink. when I went out with Mum this morning I got some native watercress and removed the plants someone gave me for a fish pond
I was going to take an update photo when I spotted some rocks
in the water so I had to get them out
I got most of the leafs out aswell the watercress is on the right
Im hopeing to attract other things not just frogs so im hopeing to attract pond skaters and other Wildlife that might benefit from it aswell
This month I noticed that Duckweed has started comeing back in my pond it had been gone for months I got rid of it all on the 20th April and there’s been no traces of duckweed since. it’s been 4 months since iv got rid of all the duck weed. but it has started comeing back now so iv taken alot of that out too but still left a few for some of the Wildlife to Hide under.
Here is the pond now
Im controlling the duckweed so that the water has oxygen. it covers the surface in a couple of days or a week. when iv removed it bubbles apear in the water again which is good but I allways make sure to leave some in front of my watercress is so that the Wildlife can still hide.
There’s not as much watercress now compared to before. I noticed it had duplicated itself so took out the duplicates along with parts of it that had fallen in. The flowering has finished and and is now not taking over anymore
After I cleared some of the Duckweed a Beetle crawled out from one of the Stones. It wasn’t a water beetle but it’s a sign that the land beetles are also benefiting from the pond since they like hideing under the stones.
2024.
Duckweed took over my pond at some point again so I had to Clear some of the duckweed a few months ago. then my competitive shrub gradually took over the pond and out competed the duckweed
so on Wednesday 8th May even though it was hot and humid I still went outside in the garden. I haven't been out in the garden as much as usual so it was interesting to see what has grown and how my pond is but the whole pond was covered with it the roots and literally Had grown enough it crawled across the whole pond so I had to take some of it out with my blue net
which was being hidden behind a opening in a hole under a shrub that made a hole that made it look like a den and a few spiky wildflowers guarded by standing right in front of it like nature made a den for it and was protecting it. but I came up with the idea of using a stick to try and get it over rather than put my hand through and get pricked. the stick stuck to the net and the net went with it but still wouldn't dare go past the wildflower for me so I used it to try and get the handle and move it toward me and past the prickly plant and wala I got it back from the wildflower that protected the pond net for me and from me at the same time. then I cleaned my net with water and then lifted up lots of little duplicated individuals from the plant in the pond. then I got grass out cause someone had been mowing and it got in my pond and then other bits and the pond literally came back to life with bubbles and there's lots of room under and on the surface of the pond for the wildlife while at the same time benefiting from the shelter of the pond plant.
this is how it looks now. I keep the duckweed and pond plants on this side for shelter and the other side for them to have space to swim about in
Today I noticed that the water level went past my water forget me not from all the rain before the hot weather arrived my water forget me not had fallen over under water So I used my nest to scoop it up and then take it out my net and put it in the corner at the back of my pond in the water so it doesnt fall over again and by doing so I discovered a Beetle floating on the surface of the water. it might of been under water and then the movement in the water from my net caused it to come to the surface so I put my net underneath so it doesn't drown again and then put my nest on the grass for bit and take pictures of it before putting my net next to my pond shrub for it to climb onto but it just sat on the net so I got a leaf from a plant in the grass and put the leaf in the net for it to climb onto then with the net under the leaf I held the leaf next to the pond shrub for it to climb onto and it literally leaped onto the shrubs leaf very quickly
Watercress is growing white flowers again now. I have only noticed one so far. as for the pond animals there is still Water Slaters but I haven't see any other Wildlife except the beetle yet