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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Re: My pond project is under way

I upgraded the birds’ bathing areas — multiple robins and grackles are in there every day!


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- while moving rocks around, I saw some black round things with wiggling tails swimming around — tadpoles!

- I noticed breast-speckled fledged robins exploring the pond area. I was concerned that they might fall in and drown in the deeper areas, but one stayed in the far-left upper basin that is currently choked with barely moist mud, full of earthworms and slugs and snails — (Once the waterfall is finished, that will become one of the catch basins.) — and 2nd one opted to bathe in the square green tub. :lol:

- The fledged grackles are noisily clamoring to be fed out there. Today, one was being fed something tiny, round and hard-looking scooped up from the liner of the pond — maybe black snails?

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applestar
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Snake! There was a commotion on the other side of the pond — I saw the snake thrashing in-out of an open gravel bag, riggling out, then some kind of pure white blob … maybe 2” in diameter … seemed to fly in an arc.

Not sure what I saw — did the snake corner something in the bag? Was the snake cornered in the bag? Could it have been the tail of a bunny I saw?

… then about an hour later, I saw a frog in the pond. I had not seen the green frogs in a while — at least a couple of weeks. Maybe the snake was trying to catch one that was hiding in the groundcover. Maybe it made a mighty leap over the snake. The “white blob” might have been the belly of the frog.

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…the storm system that passed through, accompanied with tornado watch and flood warnings, dumped about 1.5 to 2 inches of rain in less than an hour and filled up the pond!

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

This gorgeous powder-blue dragonfly came to visit my pond today :D
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...definitely...
Species Pachydiplax longipennis - Blue Dasher - BugGuide.Net
https://bugguide.net/node/view/598

Fully mature males are powdery blue with jade-green eyes.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

My pond project is stalled — I lost my momentum when it got so hot and even though I’m so busy with the garden in full production, I’ve had to cut back to every other day for about 4 hrs max in the garden. Somehow, that’s only enough to harvest, water, trellis/support, prune diseased foliage and weed.

I’m looking at the pond from the open window right now — last nights storm brought the dawn temp down to 66°F and usually on cool mornings the airlift pump’s fountain spurts are higher and looks especially pretty when a stream of rising sun shines through the woods in the back.

But this morning, it’s heavily overcast and foggy with 100% humidity, and although the airlift pump is obviously working since the purple dinosaur bog gravel filter drain is steadily pouring out, and the rope guy lines vibrate and shake every so often, there is hardly any spurt if at all for several cycles, and when it does spurt, maybe 1/2 inch to 1 inch spray at most.

I’ve been wondering if atmospheric and water temp difference as well as atmospheric pressure, and in this morning’s case, the air density due to humidity might be affecting the fountain spray performance. The lines and fountainhead could be clogged too, of course.


... the two colors and sizes of water lilies/lotus flowers take turns blooming — sometimes in multiples of as many as 4 or 5. Occasionally the raccoons seem to scatter the blossoms or eat the flower buds and I won’t see blooms for a week or so.

When the flowers end and submerge, are they just dying or making seed pods? Maybe these are not lotuses after all since I thought lotus makes above-water seedpods.

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applestar
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- LEFT — Not sure if you can tell from this photo, but the pond water has been very clear all the way to the bottom — I guess the gravel filter is doing its job

- I borrowed from SQWIB’s idea and am keeping some container plants in about 1 inch of water above the gravel in the gravel bog filter. I planted young coffee and some pepper plants in these square 2.5 gal pots from a hydroponics storefront. Although they contain regular potting mix, there are holes along the corner/sides that allow aeration so they kind of act like SIP
- The area is in shade all morning and high noon, but the peppers can take it — this year’s Aji Dulce Amarillo and DK Snacker are producing, along with 3 year old Bolivian Rainbow.



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