Operation Tadpole Rescue

The small pond that needs a rescue.

The small pond that needs a rescue.

One of the advantages of having only a little mechanical assistance in the form of a small tractor is that I can’t make too big a change to the landscape all at once. So when I dig a hole and it fills with water, things around the hole are not so disturbed that there isn’t plenty of nature to take advantage of the little pond rather quickly.

The problem is when the nature moves in and it wasn’t the best place to move in to. I dug this little pond in the middle of one of our garden areas and because it gets good sun in the early spring the frogs have already deposited lots of eggs and now tadpoles in it. However it doesn’t hold water real well, and so if there is a bit of a dry spell, everything will die. That happened last year, and this year there were even more eggs laid in the pond.

So this evening began Operation Tadpole Rescue. Digging a trench from a wet area over to the pond, and digging deeper next to the pond. Hopefully this will supply more water and give greater depth so that the tadpoles don’t dry up. Meanwhile I am also pumping water from another little pond that has plenty of water using a small 12v pump and battery that is charged from solar panels on the garden shed.

Trench to bring water

Trench to bring water

New deep end for pond

New deep end for pond

It looks like water is already beginning to fill the new end of the pond. If all goes well, tomorrow it will be full and I can dig out the remaining dirt between the two. Those tadpoles will then have a much bigger world to explore.

New end and old pond

New end and old pond

 

 

 

3 Responses »

    • All comments are moderated and must contain correct grammar. The use of smileys must be reasonable and no more than one together. I edited your comment this time, but in the future will reject them.
      Dad is tough.

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