The weather was gorgeous today and I spent a couple of hours late afternoon watching the life in my pond which is now 4 months old, although I still haven’t had time to construct the decking around the edge which may have to wait until Spring.

The water is still suffering from some algae bloom as the plants aren’t yet established enough to provide adequate oxygenation, but this will only fix itself with time and by next summer I’m hoping the situation will have improved and the water will be clearer. There is now a small natural sediment on the bottom of the pond which is beneficial for dragonfly eggs and other miniscule wildlife, though I try to keep the surface fairly clean of debris as I don’t want to add to the nutrients which in turn will only add to the algae.

The water is home to 2 medium lilies and 1 small lily, plus baskets containing Water Forget-me-knot, Brazilian Microsword (my only non-native plant), Jointed Rush, Flowering Rush, Purple Flag Iris and I was given some Bog Bean by the man who has adopted Lucky the goldfish. The plant baskets should be covered by water, but as the summer has been so dry they are sticking out inches above the waterline which looks a bit naff – I don’t want to move them though because very shortly we will no doubt have some very wet Autumnal Cumbrian weather and I’d just have to move them back again!

One end of the pond is sloped to allow easy access for birds, animals and amphibians and contains Purple Loosestrife, more Purple Flag Iris, Geum, Campanula, Verve and some self seeded Forget-Me-Nots, along with 2 small heaps of rotting logs. I also have pots containing mint to deter mosquitoes. The Loosestrife in particular has been a magnet for both Bees and Butterflies, although it’s now almost bereft of flowers.

Speaking of Bees, they have had a nest in the dry stone wall at the foot of the pond this summer, and it’s been brilliant to watch them drink in the water, then visit the Loosestrife for pollen before heading back to the hive.

I have no frogs as yet, but the past few afternoons I’ve heard a very load croak coming from the pond’s edge so I’m assuming I have a common Toad living nearby, I suspect either under the rhubarb leaves or in the dry stone wall. Strangely, though, I’ve never heard it at night.

After many visits to lay eggs in the water, the Broad Bodied Chaser Dragonflies have departed but it will be 1 to 2 years before I see the results of their mating in the form of adult Dragonflies. However, I’ve spotted some Greater Water-Boatmen in the pond today, who are voracious predators, so I hope they aren’t eating the nymphs! When the Dragonflies reach maturity the roles will be reversed and it’s the Water-Boatmen which will be preyed upon by the Chasers.

A Hairy Shield Bug accidentally fell into the water and was immediately attacked by a Water-Boatman. However it managed to pull itself up onto the stem of a lily, gave as good as it got and eventually managed to escape, after which I rescued it and put it back on dry land.

I spotted an inch long Black Belly Great Diving Beetle, though only managed a shot of its backside, and watched a Pond Skater eat a fly. As usual, Wasps were regular visitors – not that I mind as there is no nest in my garden and they are only interested in the water – and I saw my first ever Kidney Spot Ladybird on a nearby garden plant.

None of the photos I’ve snapped today are Camera Club images, but it’s still been absolutely magical watching a whole tiny world taking place right under my nose and I’m excited to see what will turn up next year when the pond and the plants are more mature 😊 Knowing what I know now about the visiting Wasps, I might try a pretty landing pad to try and get photos of them drinking and reflected in the water.