There was a frog sitting under one of my young fuchsias in the Gh yesterday and it's not uncommon to uncover a frog or a toad here when gardening. If it rains in the summer I have to be careful when I go out to shut up the hens for the night, as they could be anywhere out there enjoying the weather, and easy to tread on if they don't move!
Just had a very exciting moment by the pond so thought I post a spring update...
The ponds have just started springing into life over the last couple of weeks. Was delighted to get some frogspawn a couple of weeks ago, (We are a few weeks behind most of the country for frogspawn over here in the east according to most sources, doesn't usually appear until March). Only two little clumps, but with it being the first full year I am more than happy with that, and the tadpoles are just starting to break out of the spawn today.
Most of the plants haven't really started shooting in anger yet, but from what I can see most have survived ok. Loads of backswimmers/water boatmen at the moment, and have caught sight of a couple of dragonfly larvae skulking around the shallows, along with a few caddis fly larvae. They are really interesting if you havent seen one, they make a camouflage shell out of bits of stone and twigs, so look a little bit like a pile of debris wandering around the bottom of the pond.
Hopefully a few tadpoles will make it to maturity, as the main thing of note we have are smooth newts, bloody loads of them! Plenty of very fat looking females, being pursued by impressive looking males flashing their crests and tails at them, so Id imagine we are going to have lots of hungry efts in there. Have seen a couple of baby ones with gills, but I presume they were late developers from last year who have overwintered in the pond as think they would be too big for this year.
Very exciting development today though.. I was just laying very still on the bridge listening to a frog call, the first I've heard, which was exciting enough, when something quite large and pale caught my eye moving very fast under the water. I presumed it must have been a frog due to its size, and stayed where I was when a couple of minutes later it flashed underneath me again. After 10 mins or so of fleeting glimpses I finally got a decent view, and to my amazement it was very clearly a rodent of some kind, swimming, and seemingly hunting, completely underwater at the bottom of the pond. It was very silvery looking as it had a sheen of air bubbles around it, and after a bit of frantic googling I think it must be a water shrew.
I thought this little hole in the banks (top right) must have been a vole or mouse as we always have lots, but there is a distinct path down to the water, so I presume its living there
How lovely! That takes me right back to our smallholding days when I lay on a bank by the ‘tank pond’ and watched a tiny water shrew running down a branch and into the water ... swim around for a bit catching goodness knows what and come back up the branch again for a bit ... then back down into the water .... over and over again ... magical isn’t it? 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Ponds are great! Everybody should have one, or least easy access to one
We now have what I laughingly call a pond, though it's just an ugly hole in the ground really. But it's full of tadpoles. If we can get some plants in, and I can do a bit more digging, hopefully it'll eventually look as good as yours.
sounds idyllic @Dovefromabove , I'd never knowingly seen one before. I used to spend hours watching the Water Voles though, bit of a rarity these days sadly.
Even an ugly hole in the ground does the job @DampGardenMan, and the frogs obviously agree, and they know the score!
More delight yesterday, first Great Crested spotted lurking on the bottom of the smaller pond
I made a small pond 3 or years ago and have had many frogs, small things and one newt - which I think is still there. Bit I think I think it's developed a leak so time to move it. Have enjoyed reading your story and although mine will only be maybe 6 or 7 feet by 3, maybe 4 it's given me lots of ideas.
It never ceases to amaze me how wildlife will find a feature such as a pond. Folks can build one literally miles from any other water and somehow the critters - Newts amaze me the most - will find it and make it their new home.
Hi @Jellyfire - what an amazing piece of gardening! Truly stunning.
I actually came across this post as I was looking for an extension cable for my Solaray 1200lph pump - to extend the solar panels as at this time of year they are now in shade most of the day. Annoyingly I have the opposite problem to you, and you can't tell whether the pump is on solar power or battery, until the battery runs out or the low battery warning flashes, so I wish I had gone for the 1500 now!
I wondered, would you happen to remember what cable you got to extend the solar panels?
Posts
The ponds have just started springing into life over the last couple of weeks. Was delighted to get some frogspawn a couple of weeks ago, (We are a few weeks behind most of the country for frogspawn over here in the east according to most sources, doesn't usually appear until March). Only two little clumps, but with it being the first full year I am more than happy with that, and the tadpoles are just starting to break out of the spawn today.
Most of the plants haven't really started shooting in anger yet, but from what I can see most have survived ok. Loads of backswimmers/water boatmen at the moment, and have caught sight of a couple of dragonfly larvae skulking around the shallows, along with a few caddis fly larvae. They are really interesting if you havent seen one, they make a camouflage shell out of bits of stone and twigs, so look a little bit like a pile of debris wandering around the bottom of the pond.
Hopefully a few tadpoles will make it to maturity, as the main thing of note we have are smooth newts, bloody loads of them! Plenty of very fat looking females, being pursued by impressive looking males flashing their crests and tails at them, so Id imagine we are going to have lots of hungry efts in there. Have seen a couple of baby ones with gills, but I presume they were late developers from last year who have overwintered in the pond as think they would be too big for this year.
Very exciting development today though.. I was just laying very still on the bridge listening to a frog call, the first I've heard, which was exciting enough, when something quite large and pale caught my eye moving very fast under the water. I presumed it must have been a frog due to its size, and stayed where I was when a couple of minutes later it flashed underneath me again. After 10 mins or so of fleeting glimpses I finally got a decent view, and to my amazement it was very clearly a rodent of some kind, swimming, and seemingly hunting, completely underwater at the bottom of the pond. It was very silvery looking as it had a sheen of air bubbles around it, and after a bit of frantic googling I think it must be a water shrew.
I thought this little hole in the banks (top right) must have been a vole or mouse as we always have lots, but there is a distinct path down to the water, so I presume its living there
sorry, just had to share my excitement!
That takes me right back to our smallholding days when I lay on a bank by the ‘tank pond’ and watched a tiny water shrew running down a branch and into the water ... swim around for a bit catching goodness knows what and come back up the branch again for a bit ... then back down into the water .... over and over again ... magical isn’t it? 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We now have what I laughingly call a pond, though it's just an ugly hole in the ground really. But it's full of tadpoles. If we can get some plants in, and I can do a bit more digging, hopefully it'll eventually look as good as yours.
Even an ugly hole in the ground does the job @DampGardenMan, and the frogs obviously agree, and they know the score!
More delight yesterday, first Great Crested spotted lurking on the bottom of the smaller pond
I actually came across this post as I was looking for an extension cable for my Solaray 1200lph pump - to extend the solar panels as at this time of year they are now in shade most of the day. Annoyingly I have the opposite problem to you, and you can't tell whether the pump is on solar power or battery, until the battery runs out or the low battery warning flashes, so I wish I had gone for the 1500 now!
I wondered, would you happen to remember what cable you got to extend the solar panels?
#gardenenvy
Minki