For the last couple of years we have planned a “major garden project” for our son Johns school summer holidays; we can do with the extra muscle power, it keeps him out of mischief and, unlike weeding, is not classed as “boring”! This year it was the area just in front of the bungalow, a D shaped bit bordered by the drive with a big change in levels, completely untouched since we built the bungalow. We have been collecting Hertfordshire pudding stones to make a wall around it for 10 years and had finally decided that we had enough. The work went well but, with half the wall up, it seemed a much bigger plot than before, so we bought a 5 metre square liner and John dug a hole and we put a pond just in front of the kitchen windows.
The hose was still filling it when the first dragonfly flew over, but the next morning we were amazed to see three pond skaters floating on the top. They use the
surface tension of the water to skate around the pond feeding on any unfortunate insects that happen to fall
in. They do have wings and must have flown in, though one never seems to see them take off.
News of the new pond was spreading fast as the next day, whilst wading in to sort out the edge vf the liner, John and I disturbed some water boatmen. They are about 15mm long and swim upside down under the water carrying a bubble of air. They are powerful predators and can give a nasty stinging nip so we tried not to disturb them once they had shot under a fold in the liner at the sight of our big feet!
After four days we moved in some water lilies from one of our other ponds, much to the delight of the damselflies. These electric blue creatures are one of my favourites and are easy to tell from dragonflies as when resting, they fold their wings together along the line of their bodies, whereas dragonflies have their wings out horizontally on each side of their bodies. At least half a dozen arrived in no time at all and were soon flitting about above the water or resting on the lily pads.
The huge common hawker dragonflies soon took up residence and from the kitchen window I could see the difference in colour of the turquoise blue male and the more lime greeny- blue female. They hunt for flying insets over the ponds by hawking up and down a regular beat, while the smaller red common darters would perch on the pudding stone wall and then fly out to ambush passing prey.
The pond has been a great delight already, but we only just got it dug in time as John broke an arm a week after we put the water in! Next year, Godwilling, we are going to tackle the big wildlife pond at the bottom of the garden – at present just a very big hole. Its not only Charlie Dimmock who can make water features you know!