Thanks, Brenda. I looked at their site a while ago, and they do have lots of nice stuff, but the high shipping charges make them a bit out of range for me. I've already spent too much of this months grocery money on stuff for my little pond, so I have to really keep it cheap from now on.
Memorial frog pond
Hmmmm...sounds like water letuce salad for dinner may be in line! I will take a picture of my verigated ivy tomorrow (if I remember...long time from then till now!!) so you can see what it looks like. Like I said....have plenty, happy to share!
Glad you had a good time at the lake...was definitely a perfect night for a swim!
I've had ponds for 20 years, and I still get "pond nerves"....I think it's perfectly normal...LOL!
You can probably find parrot's feather at a local pet store, and it makes a nice pond plant.
I have a nice white waterlily that I can share with you for postage. If you want some, send me a dmail!
imapigeon, thank you so much for the offer, but I have one big water lily, and my SIL is giving me her small one, so I think any more would be over crowding, as I also have a floating heart, 2 water hyacinth, watercress, water lettuce, frogbit and several handfuls of a tiny plant that kind of makes a little floating carpet. I'm just wanting to get some stuff going on under the surface now.
(But if the offer is still good when I get my clawfoot tub project done, I'll totally take you up on it!) ;)
I'll look for parrot's feather today. Thank you for the tip. :)
Gaaaaaaah. None of the pet/aquarium stores had anything suitable at all! I resigned myself to the fact that I was gonna have to order parrot's feather or such online, then on my way home hubby called from boyscout camp and said his checking was overdrawn and he needs gas and food, so I had to send him some money to his paypal card. I'll be lucky if I can eat the rest of the month now, so no plants for me. Argh.
I really need to win Lotto or something. Too bad tickets cost money. Pfffft.
Look, Ma! I'm starting to get a froggy-shape! :D
awww he has wittle webbed wegs.. :-)
I knooow.... itty bitty eeny weeny legses! *squee!*
(I know, I'm a dork) hehehe. ;p
I think its very cool when tads become frogs! Fascinating and endearing!
I hope they stick around after they reach the time when they aren't obligated to stay.
Keep the pictures coming.
Helen
This little guy was hamming it up like I couldn't believe. Look at him smiling for the camera!
Showing off his new arms and legs... *flex*
OMG, they are adorable!!!! I want frogs!
OMG you guys. The raccoons got to my pond. They completely destroyed all the plants, broke half the marbles off, and I can't even tell if there are any fish or tadpoles because the water is so full of muck. I'm devistated. I don't care if it's illegal, I'm going to start shooting those any time I see them on my property. OMG.
*crying*
pony, I can totally relate to how you feel!!! Try stringing some twinkling ights nearby that come on either on a timer or a motion detector (I think a timer is better, because it's hard to make sure a motion detector will catch them in the act). This worked for me by accident after the racoons started killing off my 10"+ koi a few years ago. We put some old Christmas lights in the garden near the pond just because they were pretty----and suddenly the raids stopped. I later read that they can get used to steady lights, but they don't like twinklers because it totally screws up their night vision. We originally had colored lights, but later I switched to the brightest freaking white lights I could find. The racoons haven't bothered my pond for years, and my neighbors tell me all the time that they're into their yards.
If you don't have any handy, check a thrift store. If that doesn't work, you can get them year-round from online places like Christmas Depot.
Oh, Pony, I am so sorry about the pond! I just found some marbles today. I'm sending the shooters and some of the players. They're mostly browns and tans, but I thought they were beautiful. Apparently so did some others, because I felt some little nudges. By contrast, I was looking online and saw some handmade beauties that were really pricey, and was seriously considering them until I felt a couple of whacks upside the head. ;-) I'll try to get them on their way this weekend so they can be there when you start putting the pond back together. I hope the twinkling lights work.
Love,
Bonnie
imapigeon- I may actually have some twinklers from years ago, I'm not sure. Probably not, now that I think about it. But my problem there is I have no outside power. I'd have to run an extension cord all the way to the other side of the house and into the garage, which isn't really practical. (can't just run it in a window, they're screened and we can't take those off because we have 3 indoor-only cats.) But if it works like you say it does, I need to figure out a way to implement it. I'm desparate.
Bonnie- if you feel the marbles are the right ones, that's what matters. I'm not picky about colors etc, it's all about feelings. :) Thank you for contributing.
I've found 3 of the 6 marbles Barb sent, I have to wait til the water clears before I can look for the rest. They're either in the bottom of the pond or the stupid raccoons ate them, I have no idea.
I'm so frustrated, there's no way for me to really fix this. I spent almost my entire month's grocery money on all those plants and stuff, been living on canned stuff that we had in the cupboards... I'm stuck. I can't do that again next month.
I did some cleanup and saw 2 fish and 1 tadpole, but the water is so mucky I can't tell if there's any more than that in there.
Sorry to go on about this. I'm just so utterly crushed right now.
the1pony,
Bummer about the varmint vandalism to your pond. I really hate it for you. Hopefully when the muck settles and you get it back is some order you will find a frog or fish. And what ever is left you will take it and go forward... get a few more fish.. tads...
Geez, I am really sorry.
Helen
Thank you Helen. I just found one little frog, he looked okay. Had all his fingers and toes, at any rate.
Imapigeon, I thought of one problem with the light idea- the raccoons here aren't nocturnal. They're around all hours of the day and night. So I'd need a daytime deterrant as well.
I wish I could afford on of those motion-sensor water devices that squirts water at anything that triggers it. I've heard those work.
Well, it looks like I have 7 fish out of the 13 or 14 I had before. Still only seen one frog and one tadpole. Water is still so murky it's impossible to see into, the only way I counted fish was when I fed them they all came up to the top.
A very sweet lady here on DG is sending me some water plants and an inflatable owl (don't laugh, it may help!) and my SIL has a tiny water lily for me. But I'm afraid they'll get destroyed too- now the 'coons have found the pond, they'll just keep at it.
Gaaaaaaaaaaaah this is so frustrating.
What about bird netting or stretching burlap over it for a while? Maybe the darn 'coons will change their patterns after a few weeks...?
I've got my family on the prowl for something I could use like that. Hopefully we can come up with something.
I just found another frog survivor! That's two now- this one was green, the other little guy was a tiny bit bigger and brown in color.
And look where I found him... LOL
Pony, I am so sorry for you! Don't fret overmuch about the taddies...I think that they have a better chance than the fish of getting away, and I don't think that they are as tasty to the coons. They also are a lot harder to see after the pond gets mucked up, so I bet you will find that they are all there when everything settles.
I agree with the bird netting idea. Your pond is the right type of design that you could put bird or deer netting over the entire pond with a stake on each corner. Kind of a pain in the butt, but it would protect your kids and plants, and you could pull it back when you are out enjoying the pond. We have to do that on several of our rose areas to keep the deer out.
We might even be able to swing a few more taddies, or even baby frogs (although I am afraid that that might be pushing my "hunting and gathering" skills to their very limit :'} ) if all of yours are gone.
Do not fret...all is not lost...just a rotton setback! YOU WILL PREVAIL!!!!
**Hugs**
Julie... omg. *hugs* I almost called you in hysterics when I saw what had happened.
I've found two frogs, seven fish and one taddie so far. There probably are more taddies hiding in the murky bottom.
I'm confused about bird netting- wouldn't they just yank it down to get through? Our city 'coons are bold and wily, I don't think netting would even slow them down.
I think I need something on a framework that can be placed over it like a cap and staked down in a few places so they can't knock it out of the way, I just don't have materials or the money to buy them right now. I have family on the lookout for things I could use, hopefully they can come up with something.
My MIL has a live trap I could borrow, but how to kill the raccoons once they're trapped is beyond me- I'd have to risk getting mauled taking them out of the cage if I did anything other than shooting them, but I can't fire the gun here without getting in major trouble. (and I don't think there's any chance anyone would not notice a .45 being fired.... yeah.)
Such a messed up situation.
Hey Pony-I have been lurking and watching your pond and your abilities with the pond grow. I like what I see-very nice and such a great way to remember your friend!
I live in the wild kingdom of all forest creatures. The best solution for my pond was stringing fishing line around the perimeter being held in place by something similar to those wire things that support tulips plants. I went around the top ring in a complete circle and then criss-crossed across the pond. It has kept away everything. I see raccoons all the time on my patio and in the wooded area of my property. They have given up on the pond. Now if I could get them to stay away from my hospital tank . . . The other day the tank's netting was ripped up and the hose returning to the pond from the filter was pushed out of position and it emptied the tank to about 4 inches deep. Thankfully the fished survived but the larger ones were scratched up from struggling in such a shallow amount of water.
I was thinking of something just like that earlier. I thought we had some fishing line, but I couldn't find it. It's on the list of things for the family to grab if they have any.
Nothing's getting done tonight, everybody else had other plans already. I found one piece of lightweight fencing stuff (sorta in between chicken wire and chain link) but it just barely fits over one section of the pond across the middle. I doubt it will even slow them down.
pony, do you have a Freecycle in your area? We've gotten, provided, and seen posted a lot of interesting things on our local Freecycle.
Yep, I use freecycle a lot, both giving and getting. I love freecycle. I asked for chickenwire a while back for something else and got no replies, but I can try again. I'm hoping the family will come up with some stuff first though, because I don't have gas money to go pick things up from people all over town at the moment.
Pony I feel so bad for you. Let me know if you can't find the rest of the marbles and I will send replacements. I still have some of the ones my grandson gave to me for you and I'll gladly send some more.
I meant to tell you, I dropped marbles in the Atlantic last week for Ivy. Who knows, maybe her wishes will go worldwide!!!
Praying for a safe outcome from all of this.
Blessings, Barb
Thank you Barb. I did find all the ones you sent me, and have them in a safe place until I can get things secured and glue them back into place on the pond. I'm happy to hear you dropped some in the Atlantic- that's very cool. :)
I had a run-in with the raccoons last night- I heard them in the hedge (I had the window open so I could listen for any activity back there) and I ran out and stood there with my big shovel right at the path to the woodshed. When one poked its head out, I took a swing at it but missed, and all three of them hauled butt back into the woodshed. I stood real quiet for a few minutes til I heard them moving again, then I hauled off and started beating on the hedge next to the shed with the shovel- (the "shed" is all open on one side, the hedge makes the wall) OMG they freaked. They snarled and fell all over each other trying to get away. They went up the fir tree, and I grabbed my astronomy laser and started harassing them with it, shining it in their eyes.
After a while they came down and I repeated the hedge beating routine. I heard them run off into the neighbor's yard. Little did they know there was a motion-activated shovel-wielding psychopathic human installed here! (I'm lucky my neighbors didn't call the cops... hehe)
They didn't come back, or if they did they didn't like the stuff I had laid across the pond. I had a small piece of fence material, a strip of lattice and 4 long metal tiki torch holders all laid over it. I'll do this every danged night if I have to until I get a protective barrier of some kind in place.
Pony, so sorry to hear of the dastardly racoons. I hope you can find a way to keep the critters out. Sending good thoughts to your and your fish, frogs, tads, and plants.
Thank you. I found another surviving almost-frog today, he still has a tail but is well-developed. And several more fish reappeared as well, so it looks like they actually killed very few of my critters, they just tore the pond and plants up for fun, I guess? Grrrrrrrr.
The little $#&!s came back after I went to bed last night. I had a chunk of fencing stuff, a strip of lattice and four long metal torch holders all piled over the pond, but there were still gaps. They didn't get into the pond but they reached in on the end and pulled what was left of my watercress out of its pot. Grrrrrrrr.
My hubby was home from scout camp just for one day, he got me a slingshot so I can nail them with rocks if they show up when I'm awake.
My BIL and his girlfriend are helping me out- they're making me an electric fence to go all the way around the whole pond/flowerbed! I was worried about that with the frogs, but they said the frog would have to stand 6 inches tall and be touching the ground and the wire at the same time, so I don't think that will be an issue. I don't have any monster frogs. LOL
There's now an electric fence all the way around the pond. My whole danged family showed up and put it up for me, as well as bringing me 2 more small water lilies, 3 tree frog tadpoles and a garden gnome to guard over them. LOL!
I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful family, (they're hubby's kin, I just married in) but wow, they sure are good to me. I could cry I'm so floored by their awesomeness.
Here's hoping the 'coons get zapped real good and take the hint they're not welcome!
That is fantastic, Pony! I'm so glad it's coming back together and is now well protected. Hooray for your family!
Brenda
How wonderful!!! Families can be so fantastic.. I'm so happy for you
Blessings, Barb
Thanks, Brenda and Barb! I am truly blessed- It's amazing to me, and I am so thankful.
No sign of 'coon traffic since the fence went up. I hope that means it's working!
The heat killed two tadpoles a couple days ago. The water was so darned hot. *sigh* Yesterday I took both our patio umbrellas and set them up over the pond, and it made a HUGE difference. The water stayed cool all day, and the frogs were very active and content in the shade.
This little fellow is just learning to hop- he was practicing on the lily pads.
This guy was content to hang out on the water hyacinth.
This is the one with the tail again- peeking out from under the water lettuce. Look at the soulful eyes!
