fly-girl - Thanks for the folklore about dragonflies! Very funny and interesting info! Looks like you found some good resources or know your stuff on Dragonflies! :-) Thanks for sharing!!!!
Dragonflies
Wow, that was some fun info fly girl!
Becky, I had no idea the DF's would bite, too! I have not had one of those on my finger before, but I've had a damselfly on my finger before, it was very cool, they're not nearly as large or scary as a DF. I agree BTW, the DF's are not exactly pretty, they're lucky they've got those wings going for them LOL We've got some around here that I swear could carry off a frog and to look at their faces you'd think they mean to as well :-(
Ok, I think I may have already been talked out of having my own small pond. "U.G.L.Y, ugly BAD, and creepiest creatures on the face of the earth" are not very endearing terms. I'm not sure that I'm ready to love an ugly bug yet, although I was throwing milkweed bugs to a gigantic spider this year. I'm not very excited about possibly finding snakes in it either!
My dad has a small pond in his yard that is always giving him problems. He is always having to fix the pump or something. This summer something started eating his big goldfish! We figured it would have to be a racoon and then he did find paw prints. It came back and ate all the other fish AND then got into an aquarium that he had outside and ate those! Oh, and the fish food! Who wouldn't love a buffet all set out?!
I love the folklore too!
Aaaww that's too bad about your dad's fish. You have to put ledges in the pond for the fish to hide under, or do like me and have a wolf in the yard lol
Becky, I didn't know they bite.....my book said they didn't.....ouch.
The larvae are viscious and creepy looking
Becky, did his wings ever straighten out?
az, I think I'll start wearing Becky's gloves in my pond, usually I don't.
Paige and everyone else - I LOVE my little ponds! Did I tell ya ..... I absolutely love my ponds!
I get snakes in my garden beds all the time, so they just go with the territory of the great outdoors! I just use caution in everything I do outdoors. It is not my environment, but that of all the wild creatures. They were there first, so I respect that and just use common sense. In all honesty, my ponds are THE most lively thing going on in my entire yard! I love to go out there at night with my flashlight and shine it in the ponds or just sit near it during the day and watch. I've seen some pretty amazing stuff going on in there! Love it, love it! I would love to have a larger inground pond with a waterfall and other goodies, but my yard just isn't large enough or laid out for it. Maybe in my next house. I drool at the water garden/pond forum photos. But I do think my little container water ponds are very easy to maintain. (Probably far easier than an inground large pond.) And I really like the little Mexican pots that trois is using for water gardening! Really nice idea! If you want to try water gardening, try what trois is doing. Use small sealed pots and just add a waterlily or some other water plant in it. You'll be hooked, I'm telling ya!
LOL My pond is way too big for that. I'm even in it a lot in summer, clearly I don't go in barefoot :-)
Sorry about your dad's fish KKB, that's too bad. We hear tons of horror stories like that around here, usually it's herons here, but sometimes raccoons, too. We're pretty far within city limits, we just don't get raccoon visits, but we've seen the herons, luckily they've deicided it's too deep for them to bother with.
I would love to have an inground pond with a waterfall. Right now I have one of those black shells...225 gallons...it's just hard to make those things look even remotely natural...it will always look like a huge black plastic shell with water in it ugh.
Another thing I hate to not use are those mosquito dunks, the mosquitoes are so bad here almost year round. Even with the dunks I see squiggly larvae that I believe are mosqitoes, I guess some escape or maybe have acquired a tolerance.
Fly_girl - I was bit by a dragonfly that I captured when I was a kid. Never tried that again! It was trying to get free from my cupped hands and bit me. It worked cause I opened my hands and it flew away in a hurry! lol
My little dragonfly's wings never straightened out. I put him back outside on one of the taller bushes near my house. It's still pretty windy today. When I read your post, I went back out to check on him. Nowhere around. So ... he either flew off, blew off (though I did look around and didn't see him anywhere), or was a meal for something bigger. I'll recognize him because of the wavy wings. He WAS able to fly yesterday, but seemed kind of weak. I was thinking maybe like the butterflies .... sometimes they don't really gather their strength after emerging until the second day. He didn't look too bad this morning. I did hold him by his wings to keep him from tearing or breaking them when I transported him from the cage to the plant. (Plus it eliminates the worry of being bitten. lol) I think his wings were wavy because it was so windy the night he emerged that they were never able to straighten out when he opened them to pump the fluids into them. I didn't touch him until he fell into the pond and I saved him from drowning the next morning. So ... the cold, windy night that he emerged was probably bad timing for him. Oh well. It happens and that's life! I'm hoping he flew off to visit me again sometime! :-) :-)
fly_girl - Oddly enough, I've seen few mosquito larvae in my ponds. But then again I seem to have LOTS of tadpoles, dragonfly nymphs, all kinds of odd & crazy water bugs, so the larvae is probably yummy food for all of those critters! And boy do we get mosquitos in my area! They come from the boggy areas in my neighborhood and the stagnant swells. We have horrible drainage in my area! Lots and lots of mosquitos. But I never see any larvae in my ponds. (And that was a concern when I first got one because I don't have a pump for water movement in either pond. It's just still, stagnant water. But the waterlilies and other water plants help naturally filter and keep the water pretty clean. The fertilizer is what makes the algae grow. But that's always easy to pull out. The snails and many of the other creatures probably came from some of the plants I bought and they multiply faster than bunnies! It took about a month to start seeing lots of critters in my pond when I started the first pond in July this summer. Now it is a virtual wonderland and habitat for tons of water creatures! It's really fascinating to watch the underwater world in those 2 little ponds. My whole family likes to take a gander every now and again. It's curiosity of the unknown. :-)
BTW - I get those damselflies too! Very cute little guys! Adorable!
I don't have fish because of the Sand Cranes and other water loving birds. Plus they do get diseased when the water gets too warm. My water felt like hot tub water over the summer. I was afraid that the waterlilies would boil, but instead they just seemed to thrive. (Along with the algae! lol) So easy. I just pull dead lily pads and algae out of the pond, fertilize, and add water ocassionally. Easiest gardening I do! With the biggest reward being those beautiful waterlily blooms! That was the hook, line, and sinker for me personally. The flowers are stunning!
See, now ya'll got me on a roll. I love water gardening more than any other gardening. That's my personal preference. But ALL gardening is good! :-) Once a gardener, always a gardener!
fly_girl - I hear ya about the ugly black shell ponds. I've been pondering what to do about the "visual effect" of mine and I have an idea of something I am going to try in Spring/Summer next year. I'll post a photo on this forum if my idea works.
In my book they talk about an experiment they did using that dye thats used to prvent algas growth. There were dragonflies in those troughs where they used it. I use it in my pond because I can't use hyacinths or lettuce or most of those invasives so my pond canget very hot too. That dye really does work, I don't like it as much because you can't see below the surface and the fish look green. I'm working on getting enough water lilies to cover the surface so I won't have to use it.
I, too, love sitting by the pond watching the flurry of activity. There's usually dragonflies all over the place, perching and laying eggs, now I have a better camera so I hope to take some pics next year, can't wait.
This book says ponds with submerged vegetation support more species of dfs than emergent veg alone. The submerged offers more hiding places for the larvae. And it says to not set your pump on the bottom because it sucks up the larvae, instead elevate it on bricks.
Mine is 18" deep and I just can't dig that deep to set it in the ground, I've tried. The deeper I go is hardpan clay, it's awful. I have the first tier in the ground, that leaves about 10" up. I've tried plants, rocks, pavers....it's that lip that is hard to cover. Then if you manage to extend a rock over it, the ground will settle some and it will fall in or off. It's been a source of frustration....sometimes tempting to get rid of the entire thing.
One idea is to put a liner in the pond, build up around the outside edges with soil and then lay big rocks around the edge and then some will extend over the edge. With the liner there it might help the soil from shifting and washing away.....don't know...but it would be quite a job and expense :(
fly_girl - I'm not going to attempt to bury mine. I am thinking of building it up "around it" using a wooden frame. Adding dirt to about 6" below the lip, add some rocks and plant some bog plants in groupings around it. And also attach a wooden sitting ledge on the frame diameter. (So that I can sit right there and check it all out.) One thing that I do need to look into is a cheap shop vacumn or a small pump to remove water from the ponds in the event that I need to empty them for cleaning once every other year or so. Though some of my pond loving friends NEVER clean theirs out. It's got it's own eco system going on. So maybe that is not an issue afterall. But the issue that my hubby and I are dealing with is my sloping backyard. I'm thinking of another 8' X 8' area for the two ponds to be put together in something like a raised garden bed. Am I making sense? I think my little ponds are only 35-40 gallons each. So much easier to move around than one the size of yours. Anyway, that's my idea that I'm going to try next year.
This message was edited Nov 19, 2006 12:57 PM
That sounds like it will work and look great, be sure and show pics please!
I don't ever empty out my pond, once when I moved it from a shady area to a sunny area. I drained it and had 4 huge goldfish, put them in a big bucket, just for a few hours. The biggest fish died and the others died a few days later. The pond has to get biologically balanced, but I only waited a day for the fish, because I thought it would be worse for them in the bucket. So, now I'm not draining it again. If you have an aquarium pump, just put the tubing into the drain bucket and turn it on, it will syphon all the water out, without buying an expensive vacuum.
Another thing I worry about..... the sunny area I have is low and all my neighbors use those lawn spraying services, like CxemLawn and such. So, if I had a low pond, when we get those gulley washers all that poison would go into my pond. Something to think about.
But, I really like your idea...hope it works, I may have to copy it.
This message was edited Nov 19, 2006 9:51 PM
That is the very reason I am doing a raised bed for the ponds, because we get some flooding from hard downpour storms and I didn't want mud and debris running downhill into either of my ponds. It worked great for my raised herb garden, so I figured I'd try it for the ponds. Feel free to copy my idea! Sure beats digging a huge hole and killing yourself trying to break through the clay. I have the same problem. No way am I digging. In fact, most all of the beds in my yard are a bit raised. I just do the lasagna beds which raises them up a couple inches! :-)
I'll definitely post a photo if it works!
This message was edited Nov 19, 2006 1:08 PM
Very neat pics of the dragon fly becky. Cool to be a witness to it. I didn't know dragonflies bit! I've had them land on my pointed finger. Encouraged it!! Wow!
I had to stick my hand in my pond after the hurricane to clean it out. I thought it might have been a piece of glass I had grabbed ahold of but when I jerked my hand out of the water to see if I was bleeding there was a small crawfish attached to it. :) Four I found all together in there. I returned them when the pond was fresh again. I keep a 55 gallon barrel of water behind the fence where the pond is. Put a tiny fountain pump in there and always have unchlorinated water (24 hours after refilling with the hose). I stick the hose from the pump submerged in the barrel thru a knot hole in the fence far enough to pump it right into the pond.
It makes sense that they would bite since they are meat eaters. So, I did some research and found they have teeth and mandibles. They have specialized lobes that have teeth which grab the prey and push it back to the mandibles. From now on I'm wearing my gloves and am not going to try and catch any dragonflies.
Also, did you know, in most insects, the part of the blood cell that acquries oxygen is copper not iron, that's why their blood is bluish-green instead of red.
Now, everyone can sleep tonight haha
fly_girl - On yeah .... I saw a photo once of a dragonfly's mouth open! They have quite the jaws and teeth. Seems they don't lose any of them as a pond dwelling scavenger! And I remember when I got bit by one - it HURT!!! Thank heavens they don't swarm like the killer bees! LOL We'd all be goners!
If they're meat eaters them putting him in the cat cage might not have been wise! He could have eaten the cats!
I remember years ago when I had a pair of Jacksons chameleons that had to be fed a variety of live bugs. In the summer I'd be kicking the grass looking for grasshoppers and crickets to catch and turning over rocks to find roly polys. I had to resort to buying crickets in the winter from the bait store. I paid dearly for those crickets (like 10 cents a piece which was a lot back then to me!) and kept them in a special get out proof cage till time to feed the lizards. One afternoon I found a praying mantis and put him in the cage for future nourishment and when I went to get some crickets for their supper I witnessed the praying mantis gobble up one of my crickets before my eyes by the time I got him out he'd eaten all dozen! Needless to say he was supper that night.
LOL...that story cracked me up! Y'all are gonna have some sweeeeet dreams tonight!
Oh, jackson's chameleons, those are lovely! All chameleons are really, they are adorable :-)
Praying mantis.....now there's an ugly critter I have brought myself to ALLOW to be on my hand while I relocate him LOL They're such good guys (unless they're eating all you pet food LOL) and are in the way an awful lot. I can't wait til spring to see the babies out again........uh, do they eat cats, I guess they do huh?
Funny how this thread turned :-( So no one wants to come fishing for nymphs?
Not to worry maid - There were no cats or butterflies in the holding cage! I figured the Dragonfly couldn't be trusted with any of them.
Loving the stories! You folks keep me LOL!!! :-D :-D :-D
In late summer as the sun would come up on our street, there were thousands of dragonflies in a flock flying in circles. It was about a 15-20ft swarm. I tried to take a picture of it, but I dont think it was good enough to see the dragonflies...I will try to find what I have, if it is in any way legible, I will post it.
Yikes, that is just weird..and kind of scary!
This is a Neon Skimmer that caught a bug of some sort in mid-air and landed right next to my DH on a shepard's hook to eat it. I brought his camera out, but all that was left was a leg by the time he took the picture.
Even if I didn't have fish, I would keep a pond because of them the frogs, and etc. Oh, and someone told me if you have an abundance of frogs, you don't have snakes. I don't have snakes in the ponds, but ever year or so, we do find a little garden snake in the beds.
One more quick one, fly-girl I think it was , this is two part poly pond we used to have by the shop. I took some stones and had in mind I would attach them with the black poly pond foam to the edges. It would have looked better with flat rocks.
Darn, off to work again!
Awesome shots Sheila!! Love that with the leg hangin out his mouth, wayyy cool!!
You guys! Sheila has the most awesome yard and ponds. It is nicely wooded and it winds deep in the back of her property. It is one of my favorite gardens visited this year!
I love the trickling sound of the water in the Koi pond...
Gee, I may have a picture (or 2) of some of it here handy>
Smart becky ! Any sign of curly wings lately?
Here's my pond. It's in the shade under the patio so I can't have water lilly's but I do have fish. And crawfish. LOL
I love it madein!
These are cool examples for us that don't have a lot of room but really gotta have a pond. I have a shady spot that would be great, now my wheels are really turning.
Thank you for posting your picture, it's lovely!
All of your ponds look great!
Sheila, where did you get the black poly foam? I like the idea of gluing some flat rocks around the edge. I've heard the opposite...if you have frogs, you will have snakes, they love to eat them.
Maiden....yours looks very natural, did you paint that fence section? Looks terrific!
Funny about the mantid and the crickets...sounds like a Grimm fairy tale.
That's one critter I can't hold...the praying mantis, way too creepy.
Jackie and I went to Bear Creek Park yesterday, (I may post some pics in wildlife forum). We saw a few Dragonflies, some Snouts and a couple of Buckeyes. There were quite a few ducks in the stream running through it too. We definatly need more aquatic life in our own yard..now I am really going to be working on DH bigtime.
~Oh Becky, the book we're working on will have to include Dragonflies and Hummers in the storyline for sure~