pond in progress started 4/21/10

[addy1]

I moved the deck pond fish to the shubbie tank, took a few shots of the 8 babies I found. Had to drain the pond to catch them, even with them moving slow from being cold. Not real good pictures. One will be fun to watch it is colored like the real black and white shubbie I have.

This one was a small petsmart shubbie at the beginning of the summer.



This little one, lousy pictures, only had a pink bowl lol. It has colors similar to the one that turned out all black and white, even the black dot between the eyes. Will be fun to see what it turns out to be. They were all put in the 1000 gallon subbie tank.






Now I don't need to worry about them since the deck pond is shallow totally exposed to cold. It could potentially become a block of ice, if we had a cold winter.

 

[j.w]

Good job done and your babies are safe now. Will be fun watching them grow.

 

[addy1]

Visitors! I have not seen the twins recently, you never know what might happen to them, cars, hunters etc. Well this am mama watched from the woods (shooting through our windows)


while the twins fed in the inner garden i.e. the inside fenced area where the pond is.

So darn cute!




Then found another visitor on our window frame, enjoying life lol Assassin bug

 

[HARO]

My God, they are UGLY! :ugh: (The bugs, not the twins.)
John

 

[j.w]

Looks like they aren't in the assassination mood right at the moment

The twins are cute :cheerful:
Wonder how long they will stay w/ their mother and how long they will stay together as siblings?

 

[addy1]

They been hanging around since birth,every morning feeding in the back field, the last month or so they have not show up (that I have seen), this is the first time I have seen them in the inner yard. Mom is always near the woods ready to run.

 

[CountryEscape]

JW, in our area, fawns stay with their mother until breeding season, which happens to also be hunting season. When the does go into heat, the bucks chase them mercilessly, and the fawns often cannot keep up, and get separated. Does usually run in herds, though, so the fawns are kept in the herd and mom usually comes back for them. The doe weans them during the fall or winter. Buck kids will go off the beginning of their 2nd year and hang out with other buck kids or young bucks. They learn to spar with each other, getting them ready for when they can think about challenging the BIG BUCK. Usually in late summer, we see lots of bucks hanging out together. They get chased from the herds by the does. But, when rut season starts, and the does begin coming into heat (when the weather turns cool usually triggers it full time), the bucks start fighting for the right to breed the does. There is always one younger buck that waits his chance, and gets "lucky" with a doe when the larger bucks are chasing after another doe!
I came VERY close to hitting a very large buck Halloween night. At a crossing where the deer usually cross, I'm always very careful, watching both sides, which are blind because of trees that come to the road, or tall weeds. The doe crossed, so I was watching for fawns, thought I was safe, but still going very slow, and them poof, there's the big boy! His rack was fantastic from the profile view. I sure wish he would have looked at me so I could have seen how wide it was. Still, very spectacular to see one that close.

 

[j.w]

Thanks CE for the info. I wondered why I would see a few bucks together every once in awhile. I drive slow around here as I never know when the deer are going to try to cross in front of the cars. Would hate to run into one for their sake and mine!

 

[addy1]

Groomed pond syndrome.................finally cut the lilies back.

I did not prepare them this last spring, i.e. clip decrease size etc. We had a rough start of the year this year. Anyways they are way way way overgrown.
In the spring between ce and I we can probably supply anybody whom want lilies with a bunch.

I have some major grooming to do. I was going to do it now so they would be ready for spring, but no kitty litter, brief spell of nice weather, i.e. able to work in that cold water. So said nope cut them next year. Each pot will probably give me 5 plus tubers to get rid of.

So now new rule, never do not groom the lilies for the next season. They are huge!

Groomed the lotus pond, just yanking out the pads. Disturbed a few frogs one huge green frog on tiny one. Saw a bunch of rose reds, a few subbies in the lotus tank.

 

[j.w]

Looks very nice and like that fall looking photo w/ your nice colored maple tree in it!

 

[CountryEscape]

Addy, I just realized I didn't comment on your adorable fawn pics. How I would kill to have deer to come to my yard and ponds. I love them, and sure miss having them walk nearby. I see them very seldom, and when I do close to my house, they are typically running across the open fields. Last year I did get to watch a buck tracking a doe. Now that was a treat! Was soooo funny, cause I watched the doe and knew where she had gone, and he tracked, back tracked, and tracked again. Watched him for 2 hours! He needed to sharpen his smelling skills. LOL But, those pics just make me want to move closer to some woods so I could experience them in my yard. I even planted 2 apple trees. Someday they will have an abundance of apples for the deer ... if they ever find them.
I have not groomed all my lilies this fall, just net out the stems and leaves that I see that are ready to pull off. Not going into my pond for that, and too many of my lilies are not easily accessible from the side (I have to be in the bog to get to the pot, and then leaning way over the pond. LOL) Yes, I will have lots of lilies next year. The only ones I know for sure on color though are the GA Peach, the deep solid pink (also think I got it from you, Addy), and new yellow one. I'm really hoping that one is hardy. It produced tons of blooms, they were much smaller than the GA Peach, but the footprint of the lily plant was much smaller, too, so ideal for the smaller ponders out there! I'll sure be passing them out to others for postage, like I did this year. :blueflower:

 

[addy1]

I use a grab pole to grab the pots and pull them close, also a friend gave me a pair of waders. Just have to walk very carefully so I don't the slip and fall.................burr.
I also have some tied to the edge of the pond, they are floating pull them close and groom away.

Last year we had 5 bucks hanging around in the yard. Had to put some chicken wire around the trees so they would not kill them rubbing their antlers.

JW luckily the maple is down wind from the pond, so far the storms and wind have cooperated, blowing the majority of the leaves away from the pond. It is dropping a ton of leaves. I have netted only around 10 leaves out of the big pond.

 

[j.w]

I've got a little maple like yours I planted out in the front yard and it has the same pretty leaves as yours does on a much smaller scale tho. Can't wait till it gets big and beautiful like yours. Actually today it lost every leaf on it cuz of the wind storm we had here.

 

[addy1]

It is a beautiful tree, sure does drop a ton of spinners in the spring. I end up with baby trees everywhere.

 

[j.w]

I made sure to plant mine far away from my pond as I have heard you talk about that tree and how it has tons of leaves. Yours seems to manage to drop it's leaves away from your pond w/ the winds help I suppose.