Everyone's ponds are so different but all equally brilliant. I do like the pebbles round mine as the rounded shapes contrast nicely with the spikier plants and the colours stand out against the soil. Mine were a bargain "split bag" from the garden centre for only £2.00!
The red algae is still covering some surface in my pond but the water looks really clear otherwise. Still no frogs or Mayflies visiting, but I have seen some tiny red "wrigglers" in there today! Would be great food for anything that decided to pay a visit. However, I spent an hour watching some wolf spiders on Friday. The larger brown female was sunning herself on the pebbles and was being watched by the smaller, blacker male. He crept nearer very gingerly, stopped and waved his palps at her before lifting his front legs in turn and tapping them very fast - almost like a vibrating effect. In this photo you can see him waving the palps before leg tapping...
Then he'd creep a few mm nearer to her and start the tapping and waving again. I know that female spiders are rather keen on eating males that don't impress, so I could understand his caution! She moved onto a larger, smoother pebble and he followed her very intently.
Then, quick as a flash, he leapt onto her and they stayed like this, seeming not to move at all.
I don't know how long they stayed like that as I had to go inside and they'd gone when I returned. It was fascinating to watch though!
Great picture of the Damselfly Wilbur - hope they visit me soon!
Love the cobbles as well....I have old quarry stones round some of my pond, a log pile at the bog bit so they're nice and damp cobbles and grass for things to get in and out and a wee decking bit to stand and stare. I rescued the damselflies as there were so many spiders just waiting to pounce....saw them attacking a pair of maiting crane fly but they escaped .....just.
I have a trickle waterfall which I run sometimes, but unfortunately the collecting basins are a bit leaky and I'm not sure how to make them watertight without polluting the water?
I love everything about my pond, there's always something interesting happening and always a bitto do clearing the blanket weed which is worse when the sun has warmed up the water. Do you use barley straw or use a special barley "chemical" ? Love exchanging ideas.
I bought a machine which is supposed to send microwaves or something to the wayer killing algae...waste money. I run my waterfall which has a uv light on it...that makes a wee difference, but I believe the best method is lots and lots of oxygenating plants. No chemicals though...definitely not!!
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3 large damselfly came crawling out today....brilliant!!!
Wow, that's a good photo Wilbur.
I loved looking through all peoples ponds, it's very inspirational, want to get lots of pebbles now, I think they look nice around the edge.
Everyone's ponds are so different but all equally brilliant. I do like the pebbles round mine as the rounded shapes contrast nicely with the spikier plants and the colours stand out against the soil. Mine were a bargain "split bag" from the garden centre for only £2.00!
The red algae is still covering some surface in my pond but the water looks really clear otherwise. Still no frogs or Mayflies visiting, but I have seen some tiny red "wrigglers" in there today! Would be great food for anything that decided to pay a visit. However, I spent an hour watching some wolf spiders on Friday. The larger brown female was sunning herself on the pebbles and was being watched by the smaller, blacker male. He crept nearer very gingerly, stopped and waved his palps at her before lifting his front legs in turn and tapping them very fast - almost like a vibrating effect. In this photo you can see him waving the palps before leg tapping...
Then he'd creep a few mm nearer to her and start the tapping and waving again. I know that female spiders are rather keen on eating males that don't impress, so I could understand his caution! She moved onto a larger, smoother pebble and he followed her very intently.
Then, quick as a flash, he leapt onto her and they stayed like this, seeming not to move at all.
I don't know how long they stayed like that as I had to go inside and they'd gone when I returned. It was fascinating to watch though!
Great picture of the Damselfly Wilbur - hope they visit me soon!
Wow, Lindsay, fascinating. Amazing photos. I hope she was impressed and didn't eat him!
This was taken in early spring, no fish lots of wildlife. Maturing well.
I have a trickle waterfall which I run sometimes, but unfortunately the collecting basins are a bit leaky and I'm not sure how to make them watertight without polluting the water?
I love everything about my pond, there's always something interesting happening and always a bitto do clearing the blanket weed which is worse when the sun has warmed up the water. Do you use barley straw or use a special barley "chemical" ? Love exchanging ideas.
I use barley straw extract which is available at most aquatic centres and on the internet - I find it is very effective
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.