“Let the past drift away in the water.” ~Japanese saying
As spring started, I wrote about all the projects we would be working on this spring. And fixing the pond edges was one such project. Grass and weeds have grown in, choked out the edges and grown into the pond. And one section had eroded leaving a steep slope that prevented birds from wading in and bathing. So I thought I would do a bit of a modified Stuck Foot post showing the other side of the pond, and the edge clean up.
I featured the pond last year, in a Stuck Foot post. But then, I was on the far side away from the patio and waterfall. This time, I am a few steps from the waterfall, and just off the patio, as I look out across the pond.
So what’s a Stuck Foot post? Generally, it means I plant my foot, and take in the views from that vantage point. This process originally came to me from Lucy@Loose and Leafy with her idea of a Stuck Foot meme. For this post, I will feature things I am seeing from my vantage point on this side of the pond as I work on the pond project on the other side of the pond.
So let’s look at the Other Side of The Pond…..
It was a cool day looking out across the pond. The trees were just leafing out, and the sun was glaring off the pond and waterfall (inset). You can see the water-lily foliage just breaking the surface. I love how it begins as red lily pads, and then turn green and purple, as they get bigger.
And when I look across the pond, I see a couple of frogs daily sunning themselves. At least 2 look like Northern Leopard frogs. One might be a Green frog.
And when I look down on this side of the pond, I see a special critter’s leg surrounded by these black beads. If you don’t recognize the leg or beads, this is a American Toad who has laid her eggs in our pond this year. I am observing the toad eggs as they develop, and will have a Wildlife Lessons post this summer on my other blog, Living From Happiness. You can also read my Ode To A Toad poem too.
So this is the section, I identified needed work. Under all the grass and weeds is a base of pebbles or pea gravel. See how far out the grass is extending out from the shore. I thought, it won’t be hard to pull up the grass and weeds from the mud. What I didn’t realize was the roots were wrapped around the stones using them as an anchor. It was like a woven mat of roots, I had to yank up or cut through, and then work the pebbles free. A lot more work than I thought it would be…yikes!
And this is what the shoreline looked like after I cleared it. Our next step was to add more pea gravel to the shore line and then out into the pond 2 feet.
Here is the finished product. A new beach area, as I call it!
Here’s a closer view. We tried to create a gentle slope down to the water, and a shallow area where birds can wade in to bathe. As we watch the birds use this area, we will adjust it as needed.
As soon as we finished, we had our first visitor, although not a winged visitor. This tadpole was hanging around in the shallow area warming himself. I’d say the finished project was a success already.
I also cleared out other areas leaving a few a bit more wild. This is the area of where the cattails grow, next to the waterfall. There was also a pond weed here, that had taken hold, so we pulled it, and cleared out some of the cattails. I hope to fill in the shallow area, with large pebbles, to keep the weeds and mosquitoes down.
The area in the foreground is a pond iris. It too needed to be weeded. Now the frogs bask here. We need to replace more pebbles along the edge and then the pond will be finished for this year.
UPDATE:
If you build it they will come…..and how true. About a week after we fixed the pond edge to make it flatter for birds to bathe, a male robin took the plunge. And more have followed suit. I hope to see the Baltimore Orioles taking the plunge too. And soon the Cedar Waxwings will be here…..they love to bathe. So the pond may be quite busy! We might even need to take reservations if we get too filled up, and there are long lines!
What garden projects are you working on in May?
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In A Vase On Monday
I saw that many daffs were still blooming as the weather has cooed again. There were an abundance in the White Garden.
I love this vase, and really like white flowers in it. So I picked 2 different white daffodils, and filled the vase.
I thought they looked wonderful next to the birdhouse on the mantel.
I am joining in with a few memes this week as I prepare this vase: Cathy@Rambling in the Garden for her wonderful meme, In a Vase on Monday, Today’s Flowers hosted by Denise@An English Girl Rambles 2016 and Judith@Lavender Cottage who hosts Mosaic Monday.
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Next up on the blog:
Monday, I hope to have an update on the veg garden. It has been quite cool so not much has been growing very quickly. Of course on the other hand I may do a wildflower profile!
I am linking in with Michelle for her Nature Notes meme at her blog, Rambling Woods. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every Monday.
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