Pond life

Considering last year the pond was finally completed towards the end of the 'ideal' time to plant up and that for most of the winter it has been covered with a fairly thick layer of ice, I am amazed at both the quantity and variety of life it is now supporting. It is fascinating to think that most of the creatures arrived of their own accord. We did buy several plants last year for the pond and I guess some may have arrived that way, yet I thoroughly rinsed all the plants before placing them into the pond, for fear of introducing duckweed.

Yesterday we removed some of the blanket weed that has grown since the ice has melted. As the plants in the pond grow I am hoping the weed will lessen as more of the pond becomes shaded. Probably a mistake but I did leave a little to provide the newts with cover. Again as soon as the other plants have become established I will remove the rest, although I believe pulling it out releases spores only encouraging it to increase. If it does become a problem I will try the 'barley straw' treatment.

Life identified so far? ...... 2 newts, a large diving beetle and several beetle larvae, many water boatman, water louse, loads of snails, last year midge larvae and I'm sure much more I have missed.