The pond dig has begun!

[sissy]

I just got bags of marble chips for around my pond because home depot had them 4 bags for 10 dollars and while I was there the manager mentioned he had open bags and gave me all 10 bags of them for 5 dollars .Kim is the manager and was key in helping me pick all my new appliances out for my kitchen .Pays to get to know people .I gave them 2 thumbs up rating for customer care and she got a star for the store .They get a bonus at the end of the year for all of the employees .

 

[CountryEscape]

Wow, great deal, Sissy! I'll have to check that out, as I'm heading to Menards right now to get the fertilizer and kitty litter at Wal-Mart or Dollar Store.
OK, so what is everyone's opinion. Are the turtles doing the damage or the moths? Does anyone have this type of problem with their lilies? I guess I should be asking someone close by. I'll have to PM the person from Sullivan, Illinois. Anyhow, here is a pic of the lake lily (on the right side of the pic, leaves are more elongated) that I put in last summer. It has never bloomed but I noticed it is hardly touched by the cuts. So .... now I'm wondering if all the damage is from some type of bug instead of the turtles.

This is what all my lily leaves look like in my ponds. It looks bad, but they are still blooming, even though I've given them the wrong type of fertilizer. I'm sure there would be larger and MORE blooms with the right stuff, which I will remedy today!

Does anyone else have this leaf damage? Last year, with Aris (he was maybe 4" and my larger turtle is about 6" keep in mind) there was no leaf damage that I remember. This year, none until the last 2-3 weeks. The turtles have been in there since early spring. I'm trying to give the turtles the benefit of the doubt, and don't have any plan for removing them from my pond, as others will make it there on their own, but want to know for sure if they are doing the damage, or if I have some type of parasite or bug that is doing it.
This is what I found on the internet about the China Mark Moth:
ECOLOGY: The larva is a fascinating creatures as it commences its life feeding on water weed such as water lilies (from which the scientific name is derived) and the Common Pond Weed (Potamogeton). It enters the leaf feeding from within it and obtaining oxygen from the air spaces within the plant. Later, it emerges to feed on the outside and constructs a distinctive flat case of the weed. This is a particularly unusual lepidopteran in that the larvae live underwater. It cuts small ovals of leaves and binds them together with silk threads to form a flat "pouch" within which it lives. This is dragged around behind it somewhat like a caddis fly. Within this a large air bubble develops and as the larva feeds so the head can be seen to be surrounded in air (a silvery appearance). Some other species are known to use gills and do not have the bubble of air. It hibernates during the winter and resumes feeding in the spring, eventually forming a cocoon within which to pupate near to the food plant. The adult emerges in the summer but moves away from the watervery little, living only a few days. After mating it lays eggs on the underside of water plants by bending the abdomen around the edge. The adult flies between early and late summer but lives for just a few days.

 

[CountryEscape]

Also just read that thuricide will take care of them, too, and that Wal-Mart sells it. I'll check that out, and see if it's deemed safe for fish and wildlife. One person on another post was saying to "sink your lily and drown the worms". Well, according to what is written above, they live UNDERWATER. LOL That sure would not help. I guess she was pulling the leaves off that were infested, but again, if they live inside the leaves, there will be more in other leaves emerge as they grow. I need something to kill them, if possible, and keep my pond lilies, too!

 

[LindaKay]

Hi girls, I have been keeping up on what you are talking about. I have those worms I try to squeeze all that I can reach. I had a bad experance this morning. I have been watching this big bullfrog for a few day wondering if I should relocate him. the koi that I have are only about six inches long. Just got them this summer due to a senior moment when I topped off the pond and forgot to turn off the hose. Anyway that's another story. I was watering around the pond this morning and I scared the bullfrog. It was kind of under some plants at the edge of the water. He had a fish in his mouth . It was one of my best koi. I was able to catch him with the net because he couldn't get around very well because of the fish. It was halfway in . I am sure he had just caught it because when I pulled it out of his mouth it jumped out of my hand and took off. Needless to say the frog isn't lliving around here anymore. My hubby took him back in our cattle pasture and put him in a pond we have there. It was a good thing he was here because I can't find one of my fantail goldies. I like bullfrogs but I don't like feeding him my expensive fish. I am sad that he got my nice fantail.

 

[sissy]

Know what you mean but I think the black snake I had here may have gotten my bull frog because i have not seen or heard him in over a week .I sure did not want him here and tried to catch him several times to relocate him .Sure he is not hiding maybe .Sorry to hear you have a bad bad frog .

 

[LindaKay]

I thought my fish were to big for him to eat. Snakes are just as bad, maybe worse. I saw a garder snake this spring that had a big lump in him , figured it was a chipmunk.

 

[addy1]

I haven't groomed the old leaves off, but here is what mine look like ce, yours almost look like they are being torn.

 

[CountryEscape]

Dang, your lilies look so beautiful, Addy, and mine looked like that up until about a month or less ago. I think it's some type of bug, but it could be the turtles, or a combination of both.
Went into both ponds today, groomed the lilies really well, moved them around, planted and sunk 2 new tropicals I just got yesterday - one day one night bloomer - and fertilized with proper fertilizer, so I'm hoping to boost blooms in the next couple of weeks. Also found one of the smaller versions that I got from Addy was overwhelmed by the larger lilies, so moved both of those pots out so they will have room to breathe!
Saw this while I was digging out an old climbing rose. I've always heard that if they are brown, it will be a very mild winter. What are your theories???

And, have you ever seen anything so adorable? Ok, I admit, I love having cows in my back pasture. But, laying in the same direction, by age, was just too cute not to photograph. That's Mom Belle, yearling Scarlett, and this year's baby Caroline ... in order.

 

[j.w]

I like that cute cow photo CE! Are they your cows? You said it was your pasture so figured they were yours but maybe you rent the pasture out. Those are cows for eating aren't they? Just wondered why mom is still around cuz she looks pretty big. I always used to tell the cows in the pasture next to our property to jump the fence and hit the road to India but they didn't listen to me. Now they are burgers :sad:

 

[CountryEscape]

Yes, JW, they are Herefords, which is a meat cow. BUT, Belle gets to stay around and make more girls to build up the herd. They are not my cows. They are my 13 year old neighbor's cows. He bought them with his own money, and is building up his herd. So far 2 more girls, so he's happy! He said he plans to but a few more this winter if they get cheap because of the drought and lack of hay in the midwest. I let him use my back pasture (it's about 2.5 acres I would guess) since they built a new barn and had to reseed their pasture, but their pasture is only about .5 acre, so he's thrilled to have free food for them this summer! Would have been more free, but had a hard time of it with the drought. Grass is coming back now, though. They are supplementing them with corn stalks, since the corn didn't make anything. LOL Cows hear them coming over a mile away and start bawling. It's so cute. I've always wanted cows, so now I have some, free, and don't even have to feed or take care of them! That's the way to go. LOL

 

[pondlover]

CE that is so funny about the cows bawling. Ours do the same thing when my husband starts up the old farm truck, they all come running. They know he's going to feed them! I love just watching them walking around the pasture. So far we've had 4 babies this year. Hoping for one more!

 

[j.w]

Ok I see and that's nice of you to let him use your pasture. I just get sad when the big truck comes w/ the guys w/ the guns cuz I get attached to them and they come and eat out of your hands and look so cute when the little ones jump around and play together. I couldn't have them for food...........they'd have to be pets and they eat too much so that's out. Don't get me wrong I do love my beef steaks and burgers but just not the ones that I have befriended face to face. Like if my goldfish were trout I couldn't eat them but I can go fishing for trout and eat them..................am I screwed up or what? Guess if you are raised on a farm you just learn it's the way of life but I was raised in the city and we always bought our meat at the grocery store and never thought of them as cow friends.

 

[CountryEscape]

TOTALLLY agree with you, JW. I was raised in city/town, and always loved the country life. Been living in the country ever since I got married. Now divorced, but still live in the country, wouldn't have it any other way, at least for now. I always wanted cows, but I worried I would be heart broken to have one butchered, so this is the next best thing, and I'm really enjoying it. Caroline comes up to me, Scarlett is really gentle, but it takes each of them some incentive to come sniff my hand. If I had a corn stalk, they would right there! I didn't even heard the side-by-side coming until after the cows had both been bawling for maybe few minutes, then I finally heard it coming down the road. I just laughed and laughed. And, to think I was worried there was some danger, and they are trying to let me know! Mama Belle takes very good care of her daughters. She allows me to go into the pasture, but keeps a wary eye on me. Let her see one of the dogs in HER pasture, and out they go! She comes running and they know to get the heck out of there. She doesn't allow them in her pasture unless they sneak in. Cats, they can come and go at leisure. Go figure!

 

[addy1]

honey said we could have a cow and call it hamburger......................we still don't and won't have a cow lol. I wouldn't be able to kill it anymore than I can kill the deer that hang around.

 

[callingcolleen1]

If I had a farm I'd have a cow just for cream and keep it as a pet, cause then I wouldn't have to kill it and it would be nice to have fresh cream for coffee every day!

CE, I knew a couple that had a very small pond with turtles and they said the turtles destroyed all the plants every time. Maybe in the big pond with lots of plant's you did not notice the damage before. I think it could be a combination of both moth and turtle that are wreaking your lillies. Good luck with both!