New Garden Pond - Lots of Questions.

Great minds... I build a pond recently too http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/a-nature-pond.64423/

The oxygenator looks like water milfoil and I wouldn't worry too much about the plants as they are. They don;t need an awful lot of attention or nutrients so I'd just let them get on with it. Of course, if it bothers you then just divide them.

Apparently a healthy nature pond will go murky and then clear at different points if it is well balanced. Mine went murky and cleared pretty quickly which was mostly filled with a couple of water butts and topped up with tap water.

I'm also impatient for everything to move in! It's happening albeit slowly. I've had the mozzies (still do) but they attracted greenfinches and bluetits which was something to watch. I now have lots of red damsel flies too so it's happening. Ideally, the entrance / exit needs a mostly covered 'approach' for frogs etc to sneak in and out.

It's a case of wait and see now...

 

Depends on what you mean by "under control", Zappa Free floating oxygenators won't been more rampant than potted ones and only need taking out when getting too much.

The smaller pond can present problems as it can get "out of balance" quicker than a larger pond due to even a small growth in access nutrients in the water causing the effect to be more magnified.

Two months is a blink of the eye in the life of a pond. What would be wise would be to keep an eye on it but let it run itself without too much interference so that it can try to find it's own balance naturally. A new pond can take a year or two for the marginal plants to get established and start acting fully as extractors of nutrients from the water which will help to keep your water clear.

Yes, you're probably being too "precious" with the plants. They're quite hardy and tough and will manage quite nicely if left alone. Too much "caretakering", taking them out of the margins etc will only set them back and also disturb the ecology of the pond. Keep it simple and enjoy learning and observing how it all works [or sometimes doesn't] together. The basic mechanics of a pond in balance are simple. Too much excess nutrients in the water will cause an explosion of algae making your water murky so planting marginals, oxygenators and floaters will help take those nutrients out of the water by using them for their own growth.

That's not a bad thing as too much sun can cause algae growth and also smaller ponds tend to heat up quicker which is not good for the wildlife and plants. Give it some time, let your plants establish themselves undisturbed and enjoy it rather than fretting and fussing. The wildlife will come quicker than you think and the birds will use it as a watering hole!! Good luck with it, Zappa, and let us know how you, and the pond, get on

 

My mosquito problem has disappeared recently so something has eaten all the larvae in the pond

 

They are public enemy number one during the summer months, hanging like a dark cloud over many an innocent victim.

But as these macro images show the first few moments in the adult life of a newly-hatched male mosquito is a sight to behold.

Captured in exceptional detail by photographer brothers Will and Matt Burrard-Lucas, the mosquito emerges from its pupa stage as a fully-grown adult.

Over the course of five minutes the mosquito gradually adjusts to life in the outside world.




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Cycle of life: The first moments in the adult life of a newly-hatched mosquito are captured by these macro images taken by photographer brothers Will and Matt Burrard-Lucas




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Slowly emerging from the water, over the course of five minutes the mosquito gradually adjusts to life in the outside world

The inspiration for the pictures came after Will noticed dozens of mosquito larvae swimming around in a plant pot full of stagnant water at their parents' home in Sevenoaks, Kent.

Setting up an indoor studio the brothers placed the larvae in distilled water at room temperature.

After waiting for two weeks, during which time the larvae changed into pupas, they captured the hatching process of one particular mosquito on specialised macro lenses.

The mosquito goes through four stages in its life cycle - egg, larva, pupa and adult.

Eggs are laid one after the other and float on the surface of water for up to 48 hours, during which time most hatch into larvae.






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Close-up: The mosquito turns into an adult during the pupal stage after which it emerges from its watery world









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Life span: Measuring up to 16mm in length, the mosquitoes live for anywhere up to one month



Each larva lives in the water, hanging from the surface while using siphon tubes to breathe. It sheds its skin four times growing larger after each molting. It is after the fourth molting that the larva morphs into a pupa.

The mosquito turns into an adult during the pupal stage. A period of resting and non-feeding, it lasts about two days before the adult is fully developed - at which point the pupal skin splits and the insect emerges to greet life on the outside.

Measuring up to 16mm in length, the mosquito then lives for anywhere up to one month. Some species have over time adapted to travel through their entire life cycle in as little as four days.







Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...p-adult-life-outside-world.html#ixzz35UKx3DZB
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Blummy they're good shots!