First nymphaea bloom

No, I probably won't, but I can't get to it until late next week.

You've got a beautiful setting with the plants for your pond.

I was wondering if your had bloomed yet..very pretty..I am going to hate to go back to work next week but I had to slit up my vacation and convention coming up in two weeks and I hope I don't come home to a bunch of dead plants and I have enjoyed really watching mine bloom earlier this year so I can enjoy them longer.

Have you tried getting some of the water out and adding fresh, I did that once this year and it cleared it up but I changed about 40% so I added an additive to remove the chlorine, but then we had that nasty leak and had to re-do the whole thing but I was glad since I wanted to dig it out more and put it level with the ground this time since this red clay was so hard to dig I gave up last year and kept some out of the ground but that was probably made it crack so we will see how it holds up to another winter..I have zone envy on you guys but it was strange to see the pond about frozen over and the fish under the ice and I know they are glad that summer is here.

Gorgeous Fireant! What a wait you had, but it's a beauty, so well worth it. Do you know what the name of it is? Wonder if you will start getting more now. I hope so! I want mine to be like Laurrie's just covered with flowers! Greedy, aren't I? LOL

VS, yours is really deep then, that probably keeps your water cooler, which helps with the algae control, huh? How did you fix your leak? Good info to have. Hopefully I will never need it though. LOL
The EE would look GREAT by your waterfall!

I am with you, Laurrie I know has a bigger pond and so pretty and so I will have to settle for my little Lily.
The leak now that was strange for several weeks I saw that it was losing about half the water and I would fill it back up and would last for a few days and then over night it would be down again so we kept putting water in until I had a few days off and tore it all up and found in the bottom corner there was a couple small cracks and I knew that since it was not totally in the ground maybe that was the problem and it had settled and seemed to be more stress on that side so I searched and search for others who had the problem and we found this glue at Lowe's that is for aquariums and heavy plastic so we thought we would try it since I could not find another pond locally that was that deep and we sanded the area, cleaned it real good and applied the glue and let it sit for almost 2 days and then put it all back together and filled it up and so far so good but I will wait til after this winter to see if it really is fixed and since it was not a big crack we thought maybe it would hold but that was what others had tried.
Vickie

Wow, I never even thought about stress cracks from not backfilling well, I know the first time I did not get as much dirt as I would have liked down around mine, this time I went with sand cuz it fell in the gaps so much easier then dirt! I am really glad you mentioned that.
Well, if worse comes to worse, you already have the hole dug and that is the hard part, you could just buy the pond liner and lay it in there if you cannot find a preformed again. But we will keep our fingers crossed that it holds! :~)

That was what I should have done in the first place but it was getting hotter and I was in to BIG of a hurry to get it in the ground so I did not do it the right way but this time we dug a little deeper and put in a layer of sand down before putting it back into the hole and backfilled it much better and it was totally level this time. We almost went with a liner but we thought we would try to repair the preformed one 1st so if it does it again I am going with a liner but my fingers are crossed. As they say do it right the first time..

Laurrie--OhioBreezy--does have a lot of flowers. I don't know if this little plant will produce as many blooms as are in her pond, but I am thrilled to have the one. I may see if a second plant is available for purchase. The name on the tag of this one was Madame Wilfron Gonnere. The picture above looks more white than the actual bloom, which is more pink. I was trying to find a pink one because there are hundreds of water lilies in the natural ponds and small lakes in the area, but the blooms are all yellow.

I had so much trouble putting in my pond that my BiL finally helped me out. He has a pond of his own and loves to work on it. First, I had it too shallow. Then every time I reset it, the sand on the sides would cave in and give it a squished look. Jeff put it in just right the first time. Tomorrow I am going to neaten up the whole space, pull weeds, and plant some coleus and other things I have around the area. The red castor bean and angel trumpet have a lot of space and shade around them for some coleus. I did get coleus that is more sun tolerant, but sun here is stronger than average, so I still want to shade them. I may empty and refill the pond just so I can see if those algae eaters still exist. My friends are sure the goldfish ate them.

Well, hopefully the glue will hold and you won't need the liner, but its nice to have a backup plan.
Fireant, I just answered an email from Laurrie and asked her how many lilies she has in her pond. I know she has dirt in the bottom of her pond, but not sure if her plants are in the dirt or in pots. Should have asked. Duh. But I will find out. Sounds like you are gonna get alot done tomorrow!
You really had to earn your pond, huh? I did not have that problem, we have adobe. It was like slicing through cheddar cheese! LOL Jeff sounds like a great guy! How nice of him to do that.
I dumped the other half bottle of peroxide in the water today, I was asking DH if he could remember how soon after I filled the pond the first time before the green came. He said it was within a couple of days. So I should have seen something green by now if the peroxide was NOT working, so I think I can comfortably feel like it IS doing something. Maybe just delaying it. LOLOL

Hey there, just surfing around and read through your thread. I too have the "Attraction", the pic is the first bloom this season. Also when I first bought WLs they were rooted in clay. I placed they in larger pots and put the aquatic gravel medium to fill in. That night I went out to feed the fish (lights in the pond) and could barely see them. They had a field day with one lily digging in and eating the roots and the clay was what clouded the water! So I have figured out (after several methods) to put the WLs in the pond pots and sew the large poly netting over the tops. You can do this in early spring before they start to send up shoots.
I am definately not a professional at ponding and definately have made my share of mistakes. However if I may offer my trials and errors here. Everything you have experienced sounds very familar! LOL!....
Please excuse me ahead of time for the length of this post.
I had a pre-formed two level pond for about two years before we decided we wanted a bigger one. But I can relate to the clear water and two days later the pea soup starts and you panic etc. Later we all hate it but learn to live with it for a while. I have read where some of the ponders here have good luck with the HP even on the pea soup type. But I would encourage you to continue to use the bacteria everyday for 10 days to two weeks when you switched water. Then at least once a week afterward. Depending on what type of pump/filter sys you have, don't wash the filters or bio-balls too throughly. Only rinse the large debris off with clear water and never use cleaners. You won't have to rebuild the bacteria from scratch and your water will be clearer. That is what causes the pea soup when your "good biologicals" are destroyed and aren't there to help break down the debris.
As for feeding where you have a pump going, especially goldfish food, I have a suggestion. Make a ring of thin flex plastic hose by using a wooden dowel to connect the ends and seal with tape. It will float and you can tie it off so it stays in place to feed your fish and get pictures! I will try to find the old pic to include later.
I tried the aglae eaters with no luck and couldn't catch them to over-winter. Lost them at 55 degrees here. I also wouldn't recommend the water colorant for everyone. I like to see the true color of my fish for one, but also I want to see if they have a disease, etc.
The lily pads will definately help with keeping down the aglae growth. Oh and in a few pictures I saw where they were eating the Water Lily pads. Maybe you could tie a lettuce core with a string and float it for them to nibble on. My Shubunkin and Koi love it.
One of you mentioned draining and pulling up the liner or pond to avoid run off of dirt, smart idea. Even when we built our in ground pond, we had problems and had to go back in a few low places and do that. It improved the quality of water for sure.
Again sorry for interrupting your thread, but I have enjoyed reading your posts.
Sheila

Here is the feed ring in use in the old pond we used to have. The pump is going but the food stays in place. Also at first new fish used to get scared when I turned off the pump thinking I was going to net them I guess.
It is WAY past my bedtime! Thanks for letting me ramble on.

Hi Sheila, nice to meet you! And what wonderful advice you offer. It is really nice to hear your trial and errors, I for one am ALWAYS happy to avoid relearning. LOL
Your fish are sure pretty and your water so clear. Now one question, the bacteria I have(well, actually it is pond starter enzymes or something, here is a link to it http://www.junglepond.com/details.asp?item=PC200-20 ) says to use 2 tsp once a week for 4 weeks, then 1 tsp every 2 weeks after that. Does that matter? Should I go ahead and use it more often? Can it hurt anything? And I really like your ring idea, right now I am using the pellets so they float until they are eaten and believe me, that is only a matter of minutes. LOL But I do have a can of the flake and have not used it exactly for the reason you came up with the ring idea.
When I first planted my water lilies, I put them in baskets with clay soil, I have an abundance of it, and thought WOW, finally,something I do not have to buy. LOL Within a week I had a giant milk shake in my pond. We drained it and about half the clay was gone from the baskets and the filter box and the entire pond was a silky slimy mess. GROSS! lol So I started using the clay pots with regular potting soil, topped with gravel. They seem really happy and I know I sure am.
My mom is bring me some greens from her pond, I don't really want them, but she assures me the fish like the cover and it helps shade the pond and gives the fish something to gnaw on. So I finally gave in and said yes. But I think if I can get them on a salad diet with the lettuce cores, I may pass on the greens.
Thanks again for all your info and I look forward to hearing your reply. :~)
Donna

Hello Sheila, nice to meet you also and great advice and good looking pond..Now I really have zone envy, I moved here from Texas and my kids still live out there, Houston and Beaumont and miss it very much..
Donna I use the floating pellets also, that is what I had heard was best do what is not eaten won't settle on the bottom and rot but mine don't let it sit on top too long before it is all gobbled up and I did the same thing planting my lily and clay is the one thing we have an abundance of here, I hate it but it was just a mess and then I read somewhere that you really don't have to put them in dirt and so this last time I re-potted in a bigger basket with gravel and so far so good but they might not grow as well I am not sure but after pulling it up and seeing the tangled mess the roots had grown into he gravel rock bed we had on the bottom of the pond and it was a mess, so this time I did not put the gravel back in and just placed larger rocks and stacked some so the fish would have a place to hide..
Fireant, I know you will be glad to get it all done nice to have someone with experience to help you and it will be well worth it, and sound like your plantings are going to look great. I have 3 caster bean growing in the front and that is the one plant that freaks my hubby out, but I love the way it looks and they don't come back here so I have to replant them every year but it grows good from seed. you will have to take some pictures when your though. The only experience I had with algae eaters was the winter I had to bring the fish in, I bought one for the aquarium and my big fantail I know ate him so I did not buy another but I have not ever had any in the pond..
You know Donna I can't believe this thread is getting as long as it is..

Thank you, Donna, vs, and Sheila for describing all your experiences and giving suggestions. All this discussion has been helpful and encouraging for me. I didn't realize "pea soup" was such a problem for other ponders, too. I like the lettuce idea because my goldfish are getting very large and always seem to be hungry. I like the ring very much. Since the red castor bean and angel's trumpet grew so well, I am going to try cuttings or seed for the castor bean and plant them on the west side of the pond and see if they can block some sunlight. I have an elephant ear in the corner, but it is still quite small. Then I'll fill in the under spaces with coleus and African Iris. I have a pygmy date palm, but it is so small and slow growing. I am going to relocate it.

Hi y'all,
We use the AquaScape brand Clearer that has bacteria w/enzymes. Sounds much the same as the one you are using. It says to use 1tsp per 1000 gallons everyday for two weeks on new ponds and after a spring cleaning. Then to maintain, use 1tsp two times a month. I don't think you can use too much, it would just get a bit pricey to do so. But I would be willing to whatever it took to keep my water clear.
One thing I failed to mention was the nitrates! If you add too much of the dechlorinator when topping off a pond, it decreases the oxygen and increases nitrates. Deadly mix for fish just like not adding it. So when adding water to your pond time it so you know exactly how many gallons you have and how much you are using to top off with. Get a gallon or 5 gallon jug and turn the hose on full blast and time the fill, then divide it by how many minutes it took or multiple the seconds it took to get to the calculation of gallons per minute. It is tough to measure a odd shaped pond acturately, so that way you will know exactly. Over feeding causes a nitrate buildup also. That is why I started using the ring method to feed. We lost all of our goldfish in the poly pond one year when the electricity failed. They were dead within 2 hours! Our Koi were fine since we had them in the in ground pond with the bacteria, and my DH hooked up a generator to start the waterfall back up. But also the pre-formed pond was in full sun and it was the middle of summer too.
I don't use plain dirt in my pond pots, I buy the aquatic media, Lowe's and some garden centers carry it. It is expensive, but is better for the quality of the water. Oh and don't plant elephant ears in your ponds, I wll include a pic to show you. It grew over 5 foot tall and the roots pushed rocks away from my liner! I love them in the pond, but use a pot I can lift out and trim the roots and runners on frequently. Well I had already put a WL pic so I will send another of my monster!

Here goes!
Well now it is work time, I can't wait until retirement is here. Have a great day!

Now that is a monster, i have a couple small pups that I thought was dead but I see them coming up and we had a ton of rain and one seems not to be doing well and I suspect that to much water so how do you get your so big in water. I have never had these before so I am hoping mine will grow that big and wanted to put the pot on one of the shelves but afraid to the way they are growing now..
Retirement now thats a nice thought, I have enjoyed being off this week and being able to go out early and water and catching up on things gardening projects. But I have another week in July and my daughter and grandson is coming from Texas and I am trying to get things together for her to take back with her, she is just starting out on her gardening and I am so happy she is finally taking an interest in plants and things..

wonderful photos everyone, I am so enjoying this thread!

My plant is loaded with blooms, one day there were 10 open, but remember my plant is probably near 10 years old, and I haven't messed with it but I think it's due a trim job, the leaves nearly completely cover my whole pond!!! I would love to see the fishies in there lol

I have no filtration system in mine whatsoever, it's got its own eco system going on with frogs, snails, fish, bugs etc. mine has dirt on bottom for the frogs in our winters to get under to hibernate, my pond has been at this house now for 5 years, I did however, just a few days ago buy a pump, only because I missed the sound of the flowing water (my old pump died during the freeze/flood of 2005, so finally I broke down and got another one.

I congratulate all of you on your lovely ponds, someday I would love to add another one, a formed one! those sound pretty easy to setup and they come in wonderful shapes now too, when I started with mine, those formed ponds were outrageous priced, so I used a "pit liner" then evenutally took it out and my cousin and I poured it full of cement, only to find I didn't have a clue how to let it cure and alas, it leaked LOLOL not funny at the time but I can laugh now, so anyway, another liner then went over the cement and that is how it has stayed, I never drain mine, sometimes it gets pretty hot and it gets low, I just add more water to it.

Keep those photos coming, I have pickerel rush, lily, cattail, parrot feather, water lettuce and 2 new water hyacinths in mine, among some algae, but I am happy with it the way it is, I do however think this is the year that I will be reaching down in there to find those water lily roots and seeing if I can chop that root/tuber in half, they really are too much I think for mine, will try to take photo later today to show you why I think it's too much, can't see anything as it covers probably 3/4 of the pond!!!!

Laurrie

ok, just wanted to comment that my lily is about 10 years old, its only ONE plant, but it is spreading if that makes sense, I just realized that might have been what I was being asked, but yes it's only one plant that really likes my pond and has taken over lolol

Well Laurrie that has to be a massive lily, mine is only little over 2 yrs old and I could not believe the root system when I pulled it up and I had two bloom at one time the very first bloom this year but now it is just back to one every now and then but maybe a lot has to do with chopping some of the roots off so I can just imagine what yours looks like... I have another in a smaller basket that I bought last year but it has not bloomed yet so I have no idea what color it is and still waiting..

2 years old and that kind of root system, WOW! I hate to think what I will encounter when I try to yank mine up to look, it's probably taken over the whole bottom of the pond!!!!! I think this morning there were only 4 or 5 blooming, didn't pay alot of attention but will go out and look after while.

Sheila, those EE roots are scary, how often do you have to trim the roots? And Laurrie, I am guessing your WL is not in a pot? I know you have sludge on the bottom of your pond, is that what the plants grow in? I don't remember you ever mentioning having to take pots out and trim roots, so I am guessing they are not potted.
When I ran out to turn on the sprinklers I took my camera with me cuz I realized I had not taken a pic of flower #2, and I also wanted to let you see water clarity since the draining. I am going to add some more of the pond enzyme stuff this morning, I am detecting the tiniest bit of cloudiness. (probably should have taken the pic BEFORE turning on the sprinkler, you can see the streaks of waterdrops LOL)
Vickie, I am so happy for you that your daughter is taking a gardening interest, I totally understand how happy that makes you. I would be estatic if either of my kids took an interest! Good for you!
Fireant, that pygmy date palm sounds interesting, are they drought or water lovers?

It's looking good Donna, I want to add some lights around mine this year and thought about underwater lights also. I am totally stoked that she is finally showing an interest and even my grandson loves growing things. I sent him a dinosaur plant and that really has fascinated him since he is very much into dinosaur's and it can stay dormant for 50 years a very cool plant especially for kids... She was able to come down last fall after the hurricane whipped out all they had and I sent her back with some plants and seeds that she could get started again, they were just in the process of moving into her first house when the hurricane hit and I just was so glad to see her but bad circumstances. Plus my youngest son, he is a truck driver and he is one that really likes to garden when he is off the road and has some property outside of Houston that he is wanting get cleared.

It's hot out there. I didn't get the pond emptied and didn't get much work done. I had to do some housework. I did plant three coleus and two impatiens. I put the impatiens behind the red castor bean, the only shady spot in my yard, and they can be seen from the porch. They were in containers, but were becoming root bound, so I had to move them.

I like the way you have your stones arranged, Donna. I have my rim covered with the flagstone and then river rocks and then mulch. I want to add lots more plants to the whole area. I think I may copy it a little--put the sand, the stones, and then the mulch. I removed a lot of river rocks to another spot in the yard. The rim on mine doesn't look as neat as yours, but I balancing flagstone on it is difficult. My dog knocks them into the pond.

My BiL uses lights inside his pond, and they do look nice. I am sorry about your daughter's new house. I hope it's all back in order again. It takes a lot longer to bounce back from hurricanes if you've had a direct hit.

I guess I had better get some more work done.
Nancy

I definetly know what you mean, we had to wait until after 5 each day to work on ours it was the only week our temps. were in the 90's and my whole area around here is full sun just about, we finally planted a few tree's this year but the pond area is full sun until around 3-4 then shade sets in..
They are finally getting things back to normal and she has gotten her house the way she wants it and working on her yard.

Vickie, I really like the underwater light idea, but I want the solar ones and all I can find are electric. I found solar pond lights but they float. That is HORRIBLE that they lost everything, so many people devastated by that hurricane. What a heartbreak. I sure hope they can bounce back from it & start over. I cannot even imagine. :~(

Nancy, I really like the way you have YOUR stones, LOL, we have stone envy, each liking the others. I had to pull mine back because my husband mows like the tasmanian devil and I just knew he would end up with the mower in the pond. Even pulled back like I have them he STILL manages to run over the thyme. Now you know why I have to have low groundcover only there. LOL

I don't remember if I mentioned it above, and am too lazy to look, but park/wayside opened up their wholesale site to non-wholesale people until June 10th, the prices are amazing, I got a bunch of clematis for around $2.99 and I got some more of the thyme groundcover in colors I could not get locally. Only $1.99 if I am remembering correctly, and the shipping was really low too. If you did not get the email, here is the link, maybe you can find some plants you like for around your ponds.
http://www.parkwholesalegrowers.com/index.php?osCsid=5ae6a78edf7303329aea26b132129f0b

I am expecting my order in todays mail, I already got the clematis from my first order and they are exactly like the ones I have bought at regular prices. I was wondering if they would be smaller but they're not.

I definitely will have to check them out and I too am looking for the solar since the only outlet we have available now is tied up with the pump and we already had to run another so I would have power out in the GH which is my next project to fix but that will wait until fall...
I had forgotten what it's like to go through one since I have been here almost 8years and that was the 1st really bad one that hit Beaumont and I was just glad she got out of there and headed here but still can't get her to move here and I know I love Texas too but my hubby is from here and says Texas is too hot for him.
So you have a speed demon on wheels too..Mine loves to see how much he can run over or how much grass he can cover the pond with it drives me crazy but our area is so hilly that he has to mow sideways and I am just waiting for him to fall off. He had our lab out for a walk and decided to bring him over to look at the pond and I told him to keep him a way but he tore into the pond and rocks and all went in and I didn't see the fish for hours, he is a choc. lab and loves the water but it was a site to see..Maybe I need to cement the rock so they won't move..lol

Well, I didn't get a fraction of what I intended to do done. On the other hand, I finally went shopping for the dress I will wear at my daughter's wedding in August. It was marked down from $138 to $60, so I was thrilled.

We have been having a drought here. For a while, it looked as if it were going to rain in the afternoons and evenings, but then the clouds would pass over. For the past week, I haven't seen rain clouds, just unrelenting sunshine. We've had maybe three or four rains in a month's time, which is not good since it is supposed to rain daily at this time of the year. I hope it the weather pattern gets back in sync within the next couple of days.

I have to mow my own lawn, so I tried to eliminate some mowing by removing all the sod (which was mostly weeds anyway) in the surrounding area of the pond. Well, I don't have to mow, but the weeds keep me busy instead. If I can get enough plants around the area, maybe that'll help. I'll have to check out that website.

Donna, yes my pond has sludge at bottom, and trust me I don't mess with it, then it would stir it all up and i would never see the fish and froggies lol, so no the WL is not potted, it outgrew that probably 8 years ago and I just laid it on the bottom and told it to sink or swim and it must have been happy cuz it decided to stick around, I have never trimmed roots, perhaps the fish do it for me??????

They really have some great prices now so I am finally getting me some grasses I have been wanting but boy when the shipment comes my hubby is going to kill me..Thanks for keeping my addiction going, but with prices like that who can resist..

The prices were great, and so was the shipping. Since I saved so much on the dress, I ordered some plants--grasses and a few flowers. These plants should dress up the pond well.

Yes I could not resist getting a few to add to the garden and I have been wanting to get some grasses and those prices were just unbelievable and I could not believe how cheep the shipping was, so I can not wait to get them.
So Nancy did you get anymore done, it is hotter here this weekend so I will be waiting until later this afternoon to do anything outside. I did have to move a few of my Brugs in a more shady spot and I have a couple very very small EE that were just coming up but the black only had two tiny leaves and had dried up so I moved that pot in hopes it will start growing again. I thought they needed a lot of sun but maybe they are just too small yet.
Laurrie I think your Lily is defently happy where it is from the looks of your blooms I don't think it cares if it is bound and your fish must love it to and I would hate to try to lift one that size, you might need a crane.

The lillies that grow wildly probably are similar to Laurrie's, but they are beautiful. I hope to have a natural ecosystem in my pond one day. That's why I've been leaving it alone. It's hard to find inexpensive water plants.

I still haven't gotten much done, but I do have to prepare some pots for the plants that are coming in. If we don't get rain, I'll have to leave them potted. It's too hard to water them in the yard and no relief from sun with cloud cover is tough on new plants. The coleus and the impatiens I planted yesterday are doing okay.

It seems as if the pond water is evaporating fast, too. I've been adding a lot of water to it. When it rains, it fills up nicely.

Whew, been gone all day and just got home. So you both gave in and ordered plants, huh? LOL Hey, at those prices I had no problem justifying spending money. The only thing I regret is that I did not just stop hem hawing around and combine all 3 of my orders, would have saved shipping. LOLOL
Too bad about the lab, that is going to be a constant battle for you. We had a black one and she was a water fiend too. I could never have had a pond with her around. When the kids would play in their inflateable pool she would crowd them out and flop down. LOL
I hung the lettuce core in the water yesterday but cannot tell if they have nibbled on it. I have not looked out there today since I got home, but my daughter is telling me that the water is green. :~( Hope not! I will have to take a look when I get the energy to get up and fix dinner.

Well, it is not green but it IS cloudy. :~(

Same here, we took off for the day since it was too hot to weed the garden and I really needed to get out there and thin out my iris's and just came in from cleaning out a few beds trying to figure out where the new plants will go and still hot out there and had to water the gardens, they were so in need of water after today's heat wave..
I was thrilled with my order a few unusual plants for me and I just can't wait to get them, do they do that every year. I have been to their site many times looking but never had ordered from them before.
I see my water is a little cloudy today but not too bad and I have to clean a ton of grass out that dear hubby slung in there while weed-eating around the rocks.
We usually keep scooby my lab down on the far side of the hill on a run so he can't just go wondering off but when we have him on a leash he wants to run like crazy and check everything out..

here is what my pond looks like today, less cloudy then the last pic but alot more green. This green seems to be on the walls though, not free floating. Whew.
I am trying to not be so obsessive about things, like the lily leaves when they turn yellow and die. Before I was rushing to clip them off, the spent flowers too, but I decided to let them be and let nature take care of it. Probably what would work best anyway, letting them rot away like in a natural pond. Of course, that is only what I am TRYING to do. I may give in and clip them, I am very weak. LOLOL
How are yours doing? Nancy, any improvement on the green soup?

No improvement! In fact, it's gotten a lot wilder. I haven't seen any frogs or toads around in weeks, maybe months and we've had drought--only two or three days of rain in weeks, which is not normal for this area at this time of the year. Finally, we had a nice drenching, mini-monsoon that lasted about 24 hours. We could hear the toads all through the night, very loud. The next morning, I found over a dozen of them mating. Now my pond has strands of toad eggs wrapped around the plants. There's an incredible number of eggs. I am hoping that the ensuing tadpoles will help clean the pond water.

Here's another.