Some years ago, in a moment of enthusiastic rashness, we built a pond. The idea itself wasn't rash, but the time scale was. We'd entered our garden in the village open gardens and we decided the addition of a water feature would be just what our little oasis needed.
A sweaty and laborious weekend later, we had our pond. Deliberately formal in shape (square) but with wild in mind. So with added planting and stones, our pond was complete. It was delightfully quickly populated by water boatmen, visited by frogs and flitted over by caddis fly. The garden festival weekend came and went and we received some lovely comments for our garden but a common question was ... why no fish?
At the time, our sons, who'd kept a tank with small gold fish in their bedroom, had tired of them and quite happily donated them to the pond. It was only after a while (when the penny dropped- duh) that all our efforts to create a wild pond were being happily consumed by the new shiny and voraciously 'appetited' gold fish. So no more mayfly larvae, no more tadpoles, no more agile fly larvae.
The gold fish happily lived and grew bigger for a few years. Then, one spring we noticed strings of frogspawn. Did this confirm the demise of our hungry residents?
Yes!
So, now, our pond has quietly recovered it's previous guise as a wildlife pond and we will never make that same fishy error
ever again!
D'you know what? There is nothing more satisfying that the deep woody croak of a couple of happy frogs bobbing in the pond.
We used to take our camper to a campground up in the mountains about an hour away. The campground was next to a creek and had a large pond. I loved listening to the frogs at night when I was drifting off to sleep. And if we were lucky enough to get a site next to the creek.....heaven. I'm glad you have your wild pond back.
ReplyDeleteLovely pond & like yours ours is just for the wildlife, one of which you'll see in the June photo hunt!!! Your frog photo is great, as we basically only ever hear them. Take care.
ReplyDeleteA pond is missing from our garden. Small children who visit has put us off. But we may need to seriously think again. Love yours. Now its fishless. Years ago we had an ornamental pond with Koi carp, but still had frogs everywhere and their spawn. You sure yours werent Piranha!
ReplyDeleteWe've recycled an old children's fireguard on top of our little pond at the community allotment - amazing what you can find a home for in a garden.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know goldfish could be so naughty. Sounds (and looks) like you are better off without them!
ReplyDeleteI constantly get the same questions about our ponds - "why no fish"? When I explain that to a hungry goldfish all the tadpoles, larvae and other lovely inhabitants are nothing more than "whoo hoo fresh sushi!!" most people seem to understand, but perhaps they are just being kind to the crazy lady. And then I point out we don't need filtration in the pond because there are no fish to sh*t in it ....
ReplyDeleteRIP Bob! He did grow big didn't he!! Your wildlife are better off without him.
ReplyDeleteYour frogs sound and look very healthy and happy. :)
ReplyDelete