Wildedges
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Life in the World Aquatic

2/22/2022

0 Comments

 
One of the projects I had set myself for a number of years was to provide the garden with a pond, a natural habitat for whatever wildlife turned up.
Picture
There is water around the garden in the form of dykes and ditches but these tend to disappear during the summer months, especially during dry weather so I wanted to provide a more permanent water source. Dug in the warmth of a day in March 2021, I was fascinated to see how quickly nature would take hold in a couple of metres of water and what wildlife would turn up. It is hard to believe that just a few short months can turn a shallow gouge in the ground into a bustling new habitat but that is exactly what happened with the new pond.

Once the pond was filled with well water, which seemed to take forever; it  actually took 9 hours, the margins and both deep and shallow water required plants. Small clumps of bullrushes and lesser spearwort where inserted into the mud to start with then the addition of water mint. Some water weed and Equisetum fluviatile (water horsetail), acquired from a local ditch as well as a water lily for the deep water area.. The acquired water weed was accompanied by some creepy crawlies, more on those later.
Picture
One of the colourful marginal plants to be added was the bright yellow flowers of the common flag iris - Iris pseudacorus which can also be found in ditches, damp marshes and other wetland habitats. It can form large, spreading clumps of sword-like, grey-green leaves. with clusters of 2-3 buds that open to yellow flowers, some as early as May and continue until August. This iris is robust enough to become really problematic and can colonise areas to the exclusion of other species.
Picture
As the plant material began to knit together on the edges of the pond and within the shallow shelf edge, aquatic life arrived to the waters, many that were stowaways on some of the imported plant material, water snails, freshwater shrimp and pea mussels. I already had a very small pond in an old bucket and emptied this into the new pond with the silt and any creepy crawlies that lived there, noticing some larvae of dragonfly or damselfly which would increase the pond life.
Picture
Another great perennial added was Water Mint (Mentha aquatica); an Irish native found on damp soil around lakes and ponds, along canals or riverbanks, and in marshy areas. Pretty mauve-purple flowers from July to October and it gives off a pleasant minty scent when crushed. During the Middle Ages it was a strewing herb on floors of the bed chambers so that when people walked the scent of the mint was released into the air. Along with Meadowsweet and Vervain, Water Mint was one of the herbs held sacred by the Druids.
Picture
Another perennial that provides wonderful yellow flowers, like golden coins, above the surface of the water in late spring are the Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris). A native wildflower at home in the shallow water, on the margins of the pond, in fact anywhere the soil is continually damp. A member of the buttercup family so, large yellow flowers, with usually 5 but can be up to 8 petals, and a central cluster of golden stamens. There are now double forms and a rarer white form though I think the natural native plant is hard to beat.
Picture
As the season progressed the vegetation became evermore lush, the grasses and wildflowers grew over the liner to hide the edges though the warm sun and bright days also encouraged algae to form. As this is a natural pond with no pump or filtration system it had to be left for one season to allow the natural processes to settle down but I will treat the algae - with natural products - 1 year on, if necessary.
Picture
So, with plants maturing, the pond life began to emerge, one of the earliest of the damselflies was the Large Red Damselfly - Pyrrhosoma nymphula followed by the Four-spotted Chaser - Libellula quadrimaculata and then for most of the summer the Common Darters - Sympetrum striolatum
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
As the year in the life in the pond draws near, my one hope was that the pond would be a suitable site for frogs and newts. Frogs are definitely around the garden as I see a number each year in the long grass and along the damp margins of the boundary ditches. Traditionally, frogs return to their home habitat to spawn but I'm hoping that one or two might consider the pond as a bit of an upgrade for their offspring this year and that frogs will become one of the pond's resident species.

This hope turn to reality this week, when I discovered clusters of frogspawn in the shallowest parts of the pond, 13 clusters and counting. With no fish in the pond hopefully many will turn into tadpoles and eventually to adult frogs.
If it's suitable for frogs then the next species of my wish list ..... newts..
Picture
I also look forward to welcoming any new invertebrates such as Water Boatman, Pond Skater maybe even a Diving beetle or two that are on the look out for new habitat, the pond is ready and waiting.
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

    WildEdges

    A haven of quiet countryside highlighting issues affecting the natural world.

    Categories

    All
    Ahead Of The Storm
    A Morning Of Snowdrops
    And The Leaves That Were Green
    A Quarrel Of Sparrows
    Are There Emeralds In The Emerald Isle
    Autumn Angst
    Be Nice To Nettles
    Birds Of A Feather
    Birds Of Ireland - Goldfinches
    By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
    Failte Romhat Gach Ein
    First Flowers
    Five Spring Plants For The Pollinators In Your Garden
    Food Foraging - Elderflower
    Food Foraging Hedgerows
    Hedgerow Harvest
    Heralds Of Spring
    In Appreciation Of Bats
    In The Bleak Midwinter
    In The Clover
    Ireland's Gemstones - Aquamarine
    Irish-hare
    Irish Wild Birds
    Let's Talk About Jam
    Life In The World Aquatic
    Location
    Magpie
    Magpie In My Garden
    Meanders In Wildflower Meadows
    Moth Night
    National Bird Day
    National Nestbox Week
    National Tree Week
    Natural Born Killers
    Robin Builds Nest
    Robin's Perch
    Snowdrop Week
    Snowdrop-wwek
    Snow Food
    The Importance Of Wetland Habitats
    The Long Way Home
    There's A Buzz About Bumblebees
    The Tears Of Tress
    The Trees @ Wildedges
    To Tidy Or Not To Tidy
    What's In A Name?
    When Wild Geese Fly
    Why Dandelions
    Why Do Birds Sing?
    Why Nestboxes Matter
    Wild Bird Winter Survival Manual
    Wildflower Lawns
    Wildflowers Of Ireland - Daisies
    Wildflowers Of Ireland - Foxglove
    Wildflowers Of Ireland - Primroses
    Wildflowers Of Ireland - Snowdrops
    Wildflowers Of Ireland - Wild Garlic
    Wildlife Corridors
    Winter Greenery
    Winter Is Coming....

    RSS Feed

Location

Site Map

HOME
BLOG
ABOUT
CONTACT

Contact Us

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact