How do I manage a Natural Pond

[DorsetDunk]

really great to see some images Posie what a wonderful place!
I would have a field day in there hunting true bugs and hoppers just the kind of habitat i am always on the lookout for.
grab a Tupperware tray and a thin stick hold the tray under the vegetation and give a few sharp firm taps on the greenery and see what drops into the tray you will be amazed at the amount of creatures living in there
I would use a strimmer to regularly to keep a path clear for excess to the pond and an area kept short so that you can view the water from your window
and i would keep big blocks of vegetation just as it is provides ideal nesting sites for warblers etc
I would be in my element lying in the middle of all that vegetation and crawling along the strimmed paths it would make a fascinating place to study
once you have got back control of the area it a matter of doing it little but often to keep excess to the pond and your views clear
its a pity i don't live close by as i would certainly offer to help in return for cataloguing the insects i am sure there will be a rare hopper (Homoptera) hiding in there somewhere!

[posie]

Hello DDunk, I appreciate your enthusiasm and comments and suggestions.
Yes it is a pity you are not nearer, because you would be very welcome to investigate what wildlife there is there. There was a 'rare hopper' in there this morning, and it was me..Posiearius rareius..

On a serious note though, I have been looking at local members that I know of, with a view to asking them to give a hand with identification and catalogue-ing as you suggested.
There are other areas of my 'patch' that would be of interest too, 'cos there are meadows of grass, that have been alive with butterflies and moths..and there are lots of things lying about, like old woodpiles, heaps of this and heaps of that, mostly junk, but I'm nervous to move it in case it is some creature's 'Home'/habitat.

There is a small wild area in the garden which is fenced off and never touched, and there is a network of holes and tunnels etc. in it, I guess that is mice, voles, frogs etc.

And there have also been many bees nests, ATM I know of solitary bees in the hay barn under a pallet, and a huge amount of buzzing in the area of a pile of old wood, which has been there for years(the wood).

Also there are loads of objects lying around, which are being stored outside in a tiny paddock, you name it, it's there..and these things are homes for lots of the smaller wildlife, like insects, spiders and etc.

I am a hoarder of 'junk', but a firm believer in the saying 'one man's junk is another man's treasure'...also I don't have the time or energy to get rid of it, so my very valid excuse is..'it helps the wildlife' to leave it where it is.
You would never believe the places some of the birds have nested.

With regard to the pond area, as soon as I know what is underneath the silt and clay on the bottom, I will start to get some of the bigger plants out, that have taken over, and get some pathways cleared...

Posie..

[ramidg]

Hi Posie, apologies for taking so long to return. I dont walk into the water to manage the very vigorous stuff, instead work from the banks. I have several long poles with various ends. one is two prongs of a three pronged garden rake, another is a sort of hook with a sharpened edge, another is a wide rake with not many teeth made from fencing wire, and finally a fine light rake. All home made. The first two I used to deal with lilly roots (or are they tubers?)which are 2 or 3 inches thick and have to be cut in place in order to be able to drag the pieces out of the mud. The big rake is to drag the middle area of water to keep the surface free, I just pull the weeds to the edge and leave so any caught creatures are still in the water, as summer progresses the water level drops and dries the raked stuff which sometimes I will dispose of and sometimes not. The fine rake is for skimming duckweed and frogbit in early spring, The wind normally blows it to one side and it is easy to collect. If I stay on top of it in the early spring I find I can leave it to reproduce itself once the tadpoles arrive and the pond will still have some clear areas at the end of summer.

I think your 8 feet tall plants are bullrushes, They are about twice as tall as the yellow iris. This year the majority of dragon fly larvae pupated under lilly leaves that stood out of the water, I had removed the iris that were spreading into the water ( a once every few years job)which is where I normally see the empty skins, one I found about 6 feet up one of the coppiced ash, it must have left the water to get to it. I leave the iris that grow on the banks as I think their roots help to stabilise the banks, I do cut most of the leaves after the seed pods have grown and they bend over into the water, always leave some as there is a caterpiller that eats them, afraid I dont know what it becomes though.