Category Archives: Ponding

An Extreme Form of Gardening

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If you want to make a huge difference to countless millions of lives, you absolutely can.

All you have to do is create a wildlife pond. It doesn’t have to be big. A micro pond in a bucket can mean the world to tiny lives looking for a place to do their thing.

A wildlife pond doesn’t have to take much money. It does take a whole lot of time but that’s mostly because you’ll be spending hours upon hours marveling at your creation.

The amount of joy you’ll get in return is tremendous. If you’re not careful, you’ll also get backache – but if you do, you’ll know it was totally worth it.

Ponds are like fingerprints – each one is unique. Mine is a young retention pond on a sunny terrace. And it is prone to drama, as it befits a fledgling body of water. At the filming of this video, I was dealing with a charming but unruly guest who’s overstayed its welcome, for more than one reason. I can still hear the delicious crunch it makes when you rip it from the pond bottom. Good times!  

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Ribniki so kot prstni odtisi – vsak je drugačen!

Skupno jim je to, da v njih najdejo zatočišče premnoga drobna življenjca, ki se najraje kar sama povabijo. Pa tudi kakšno malce večje se najde med njimi.

In potem tam živijo, se lovijo in množijo, za obilo presenečenj poskrbijo in skrbnega opazovalca marsičesa naučijo. Lastniki v ribnikih najdemo srečo, pa tudi precej dela. V ribniku in okolici se zmeraj kaj dogaja 😅

Like oversized mosquitoes but friendlier and clumsier

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Here’s a pair of creatures who get blamed for all the wrong reasons. This loved-up couple are crane flies, most likely of the Tipula oleracea persuasion.

They’re too big for any regular mosquitoes, check fingers for scale, which only makes it worse because they get accused of being giant mosquitos and swatted out of existence.

But these clumsy insects don’t bite at all. Their larvae on the other hand, do bite alright – they have a taste for plant roots and can chew their way through vast swathes of grass and crops, leaving huge dried patches in their wake.

As is often the case, good biodiversity goes a long way. If baby crane flies are giving you a headache, know that birds and ground beetles can help you keep their numbers modest and their activities focused on munching decaying plant matter, which is a good thing because it keeps nutrients cycling.

Just keep your pots and pans covered when the adults pay you a dinner visit – they have an uncanny talent for falling into open dishes.

#cranefly #cranefliesmating #tipula #insectlife #koseninar #wetlands #vojnik #slovenia #neanderslavia

A baby beetle

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On this earth, there are 300 pounds of insects for every pound of human flesh. They fly, they dig, they swim, they bite and sting and spray. And they can make more babies in their lifetime than the whole of humanity ever has. We’re outmaneuvered, outgunned, outnumbered and sometimes outsmarted too. Just something to keep in mind 🙂

Possibly, nah definitely a leech

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One of the best things about creating a wildlife pond is watching new critters move in. This spry little slinkie – unfairly known, as I’ve learned, as the horse leech – has managed to find my magic little lake. And quite possibly, my new friend is exactly what these waters needed… because right now, they’re ruled by voracious dragonfly larvae who could use a good old-fashioned fear of God put into them… Dragonflies can murder their way through a sizeable batch of tadpoles in a disturbingly short time – a relatively well-known fact in the ponding world. But they will also actively stalk small fish, which is much less known about them. Supposedly, horse leeches hunt dragonfly larvae, so maybe nature will balance itself out.