I’ve been watching the reinstated old pond carefully every day to spot the first signs of life and activity. Up to now it has been midges hovering and the odd white feather afloat, evidence that a bird has been drinking or bathing.
I’ve noticed different types of dragonflies swooping and mating around the bigger pond and today I saw a mating dance over the tiny pond. I was interested in the way the two dragonflies, locked together, kept swooping down to the water and then away again. At first I thought it was because I was disturbing them, so they couldn’t settle. But after Googling the activity, it turns out that this is egg-laying. Every time they swoop down, the dragonfly touches the water and lays an egg.
Now, paying close attention to this mating activity, and with the day settling into evening, I realised that quite a few other insects were about too, so I took a few shots and a few seconds of video to record them.
Then, just about to stop for the evening, I looked closer into the water and saw that it is teeming with mosquito larvae. Hmm, not so attractive.
Googling again, it seems that if I have a pond of standing water, I’m bound to have mosquito larvae. Still, not to worry too much because many of the animals and insects in the garden think they are a good meal. But I was worried because the predators are in the other pond. Well, after a few minutes of gentle panicking, I decided to help nature along a bit and moved some predators from the other pond: a few newts and a couple of aggressive back swimmers. My fingers are now crossed that they all survive the move and find their appetite quickly enough to control a potential mosquito problem.
By the way, I’m already tired of referring to the newest pond as ‘ the reinstated old pond’, so I’ve decided while writing this that I have to settle on names to differentiate the two bodies of water. The original pond, which is now reinstated, will from now on be called ‘tiny pond’ and the slightly larger pond will be called… the slightly larger pond. No, just kidding. From now on, I’m calling it the lily pond (for obvious reasons).
FROG BLOG 