Life returns to Ungardening Pond

Little by little we are refilling the pond, after relining it. And how immediately life returns. The frogs have been with us, their lives lived out hunting crickets in the mulch layer we try to cover the garden in. A blur of movement, and a frog emerges as the watering can shower disturbs him. We heard reed frogs clicking in the afternoon, frogs croaking and raucous toads bellowing at night. Now there are tadpoles, drawing back our kingfishers (waiting on better pictures, but the birds are back at long last)

Ungardening Pond in autumn

This month’s photography contest at gardeninggonewild is themed around light. Deadline is 24th April! I took this photo one autumn morning (before the contest) because the light was magical. After a summer, when the sun was something I moved briskly to evade, this is balm and balsam, illuminating fresh green leaves, reflecting off a new water surface. (But the picture is just a snap for me).

We have teeming hordes of dragonflies. Take time out and see, the more you look, the more varieties there are. The damsels have been slower to return. Standing, as they do, with the tail up, is called skypointing. Done to keep cool apparently, so they say.

Blue dragonflies

Such luminous glowing peacock blue beauty. And what big eyes you have, my dear!

Blue dragonfly

Meredith from Greatstems writes on the circle of life. We gaze down thru the pond water, to see a large frog almost camouflaged, and he devours a land snail, which went a little too far into the water. And they will each, in their turn be devoured by the water snails. Hope they are in there somewhere. We tided them over in the baby baths, but haven’t seen any in the pond yet??

Circle of life

The largest is the Blue Emperor, but these fat red ones are the most striking.

Red dragonfly

So too the wagtails have resumed their promenade along the shores of the ‘lake’, collecting dinner. Taking time out for a really thorough cleanse and polish.

Wagtail bathing

You can almost hear him saying Yee-hah as he dives in.

About to go under ...

Nothing is still, except the water drops, frozen in motion. Every feather on the bird in blurred motion.

Still water

Finally the next generation of the Lil Cuss, one of our pin-tailed whydahs, before he grows the long tail and the crabby Ruler of the World burden it carries.

Young pin-tailed whydah

At the end of a long hot afternoon, Spirulino’s flock line up on the branches, then the shore, in relays for bath time.

Pictures by Jurg, and Diana,

words by Diana of Elephant's Eye

- wildlife gardening in Porterville,  

near Cape Town in South Africa   

   

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