Some pond life. Hoverflies and flowering pond plants. #Pollinators #PondLife #Garden

After 4 years we have an uneven number of fish in our ponds. We started with 4 and 4… now we have 2 and 6! Gained a few (naturally!) in the bottom pond and lost a couple to raccoons this winter in the top pond.

So this little fellow that found himself sort of stuck in the pump box of the bottom pond got scooped and is now making new friends in the top pond.

The ponds are looking great right now. The plants are growing fast, the water is crystal clear and the algae is almost completely gone. The little ecosystem is happy! I think the bog filters have made a big difference!

#gardening #portalberni #pond #pondlife

The baby #coots are growing nicely, always fun watching them get fed by the adults. #Pondlife #birds #wildlife

We had a #pond visitor last night. He sat there for about 10 min watching the fish and frogs. Then a raccoon came bumbling about and scared it off. I keep the nets on until the pond plants are mature enough to provide cover for the fish and this is why.

A wonderful Whirligig beetle shows off its moves. Looks like fun to spin around like that

This Newt was such a surprising treat to see in this pond

The pond skater and snail were wonderful enough, but this amphibian was really special.

Further to my recent post about frogspawn, I'm happy to report that it has all hatched out. Hundreds of juvenile tadpoles have wriggled free of the 'jelly' and can now be seen feeding on it. They have been joined by a pond snail which is also tucking into this nutritious substance. The red caterpillar-like things are catkins from the silver birch and poplar trees that overlook the pond.
#frogs #tadpoles #pond #pondlife #ponds #gardening #wildlifegardening

'Pond life' is sometimes used as an insult applied to particularly contemptible people but I feel that this is unfair to actual pond-dwelling creatures which, by contrast, are mostly harmless and frequently fascinating lifeforms.
Frogspawn is a case in point. You can see that our tiny garden pond is full of the stuff. Zoom in and you can tell that the embryos are starting to elongate towards the shape of a tadpole.
#pond #frogspawn #tadpoles #frogs #pondlife #wildlife #gardening #reptiles

Great Crested Newt in #Bath #Somerset #UK. A protected species here in the UK (I have a licence to catch and handle them).
#Nature #Wildlife #UKWildlife #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #Amphibian #Newt #Pondlife #Pond #NatureCommunity