Garden ponds , anything new?

S

swordsy

Guest
Just giving the pump and filter a quick fettle this morning and I noticed a colony of small sedge (6or7)on an overhanging raspberry branch. They were small and gun metal grey with a silver sheen to their wings but the most amazing thing was they had the longest antennae at least three times their body length.

My tadpoles are also doing amazingly well with several thousand of them enjoying a pretty much predator free pool.

Is it me being a bit David Bellamy or does anyone else get a bit giddy when they spot things like this on their back garden?
 
S

swordsy

Guest
I want to see a grass snake as well as get a few toads and a breeding colony of newts.

I had a good run with butterflies last year, I even had one of the humming bird hawker moths that look like tiny little humming birds. The only other place I have seen those is at my uncles in lincolnshire.
 
D

Daniel Matley

New member
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Stockport
Lee......We have a pair of Blue Tits in a nesting box doing overtime trying to feed their young at the moment, its amazing how hard they work, back and forth every few minutes with a gob full of grub.

Last weekend when I was mowing the lawn I had three tiny frogs leap out of the way before they were shreaded to bits. Next door have a garden pond which is where I assume they have come from but it beats me how they got over a 4ft fence!!!
 
S

swordsy

Guest
Think how many garden nasties it takes to make one blue tit, we should all do our bit to help nature. :O)
 
P

Phil Hackett 2

Guest
On the other hand Lee, think how many garden friendlies it takes to make a blue tit?
Do the tits know the difference? :0)
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
Those are what is termed Long Horn Sedges Lee.

Maybe you would like to take over my three friends for me.

Bartholomew, Agnetha and Morticia. They have just come out of hibernation and are looking great. Both Agnetha and Morticia were inseminated about 5 years ago so they should be able to produce another clutch of eggs this year.

Bartholomew is a male unfortunately and tends to get aggressive if he can't find a mate. He needs very careful handling indeed.

Bartholomew is a Male Sydney Funnel Web and both Agnetha and Morticia are Northern Mpumalanga Black Widows.
 
G

Ged

Guest
What a nice thread swordsy.
Used to have a solitary drone bee living in my outlet pipe for the central heating boiler, had to change the valve last year and the bee hasn'y been back yet.
saw the first Lacewing last week, green one.
 
B

Baz

Banned
Banned
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
544
Reaction score
1
Location
Warrington
Take a birds eye view of the street where you live, and you will see what an important part all of the gardens play in bringing nature to your garden from the countryside. Our gardens, the more natural the better, are natures highways.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
That's why I get the hell in when I see people chucking poison on their gardens so that plants that don't belong in the country can grow.

An English garden should be as natural and idigenous as possible. What's wrong with daisies, buttercups and dandylions anyway.
 
D

davestocker

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
1,591
Reaction score
1
Location
North Lancashire
My mother lives in the heart of London where, she assures me, garden birds in her area (NW6) have actually gone off eating peanuts, bigtime. How does she keep the birds coming to her various feeders? She's now feeding them flaked almonds, for crissakes. I find it remarkable that there must be so much bird feeding going on that the birds have now become picky, though discarded fast food might also be involved in altering their appetites.
 
Neneman Nick

Neneman Nick

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2004
Messages
2,875
Reaction score
1
Location
On the road to rack & ruin !!!
my brother had a nice garden where he had an area with a small wildlife type pond etc and loads of different flowers to encourage the butterflies and insects.regular visitors included a hedgehog and a grass snake which were sure feasted upon the frogs that used to frequent the pond as well.it amazes me how the creatures managed to find the place as his garden was just one of many in the street and moving from one to another couldnt have been that easy with fences and walls to get over and around.
 
F

Fred Bonney

Guest
I've had a pond for two years now and have frogs and toads in residence,but no spawn.
last year I found the casts of an obvious water based insect,but missed the actual insects.So,this yearI shall be watching more closely.
We have blue tits nesting, I think she's sitting on eggs.
A second clutch of blackbirds have just hatched,the first 4 I found dead, after only a few days,but it was cold and damp so I think that was the problem.
Greenfinches galor feeding off the black sunflower seeds and more house sparrows than i've seen for long time eating the peanuts,they can't get near the sunflower seeds.
Hoovering up underneath are the dunnocks chaffinches and robins.
Must try flaked almonds ;o)
 
T

The Monk

Guest
my frogs and newts have bred again this year, and I`ve had long tailed tits in the garden recently, not had any hawker dragon flies this year yet though, or at least I havent noticed any. Had a fox a few week ago and plenty of hedgehogs, while we have two grey squirrels in the garden now, plus Muff and Wendy my polecats of course.
 
J

jason fisher

Guest
it's a bit too early for hawkers monk another couple of weeks should see em start, i used to love watching them over my pond and flying round the garden on a warm summer evening.
 
T

The Monk

Guest
Jason, did I show you my ponds when you came round mate, I can`t remember??
 
J

jason fisher

Guest
no mate you didn't, i'll have to pop round one day and have a look.
 
J

jason fisher

Guest
anytime mate.

now that's patently untrue, it takes about 27 attempts to get you when you're in.
 
W

Wolfman Woody

Guest
I put out loads of sunflower hearts and the squirrel mops a lot up.

The finches like them,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top