Pileated Woodpecker

I thought for a minute we were being invaded by pterodactyls or some strange space creature. The screaming noises from the woods was so loud, it would wake a body up from a dead sleep.  

But it wasn't anything all that strange, although when sighted they were beautiful.  

We have at least one mating pair of pileated woodpeckers and he was making a big play for the affections of the female.  They darted from tree to tree, with her coyly, if something that big can be coy, evading his advances.  What a dance they did.  Wish it had been light enough to do a video. 

I have a photo that I took in another house down in Louisiana where they lived, so that will have to do.  Pictures of this pair as soon as I can get them.

The time is right to build a pond.  Get that digging done before it gets too hot. If you want step by step directions on building and maintenance, my book is what you need.

Pond building help

And don't forget to join us at pondlady.com with your questions.

pondlady.com

Bluebird

We have a bluebird nesting box at the end of our driveway.  Every spring a pair of them arrive at the box and settle in.  I have no idea if it is the same pair or not, but I want to believe that it is.  Probably isn't tho.  Oh well, we welcome them each spring.  

Our garden, in fact the entire acre we live on, is organic. No pesticide has ever touched it in the 7 years we have lived here. I think that accounts for the amazing variety of wildlife that lives here. This morning, I saw red headed woodpeckers along with bluejays checking out food possibilities on the ground.  And hummers were investigating hydrangeas and daylilies. I am never fast enough to get a good hummer shot.

Don't forget to buy my pond how-to Book . The 99 cent sale is ending in a couple of days.

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Building-Caring-ebook/dp/B00785EXXA/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329153290&sr=1-2 

And at my website, find experts in all phases of pond building and maintenance.  We have fun with our pond stories.

10 Essential Pond Building Tips

Full sun. Did I let it get overgrown?  Ya think?

But on to the ten rules to follow that make pond keeping easy.

• • You must have one bunch of anacharis (underwater grass) per square foot of water surface area. This serves as a natural filter and as food for the fish. It grows faster than the fish can eat it.
• • 50 - 60% of the surface of the water must be shaded with floating plants. Water lilies are great, as are water hyacinths, water lettuce or water poppies. Just be sure to compost them as they multiply and not allow them loose in a natural waterway.
• • You must have fish to complete the balanced ecosystem. I recommend common goldfish. Do not put Koi in your pond unless you have built a koi pond. They will eat all of your plants.
• • Do not feed your fish. They will become too big for the pond and upset the ecosystem. You will have an overpopulation problem and all of your fish will die.
• • Put in one linear foot of fish for each 25 square feet of pond surface area. If you have 100 square feet of pond, you may have 4 foot long fish, 8 six inch fish or 16 three inch fish and so on.
• • Do not allow turtles, crawfish, alligators, ducks, geese, dogs, raccoons, possums, muskrats, nutria or your children to swim in your pond.
• • Do not use chemicals!!! EVER! Add a dechlorinator when you first fill the pond and then when you add more than 10% water afterwards.
• • Do not worry about pH. It will take care of itself.
• • Remove any dead or decaying vegetation regularly so that ammonia does not build up and foul your pond.
• • Relax. Your pond will generally take care of itself. I recommend benevolent neglect as the best approach to pondkeeping.

Do not even try to seam large pieces of butyl rubber liner together at home. It won't work. If you need an extra large piece, the factory will seam it for you, usually for free or very little money.

Read this and 200 pages more of great pond building and keeping advice in my new book "The Practical Guide to Building and Maintaining your Pond."  Get it from Amazon

For more info, pond questions, photos, ideas, problem solving, visit us at pondlady.com

Thanks for visiting.

Springtime Delights

Here in the South of the US, specifically just north of the Great Free State of New Orleans, there is not a day that we cannot garden. That's not to say we do garden every day, but we could if we wished. 

So in November in between getting the cold weather veggies in, we get the petunias, pansies and snapdragons in the ground. We get some color during the winter, but in the spring, we have displays that stop passing cars.  

By the way, we used to put winter color in in October, but about 10 years ago, I had to start planting them in November because it was too hot in October and they would melt from the heat.

So without any more delay, here's what we see in our delicious springtime garden.

It's worth a little more work in November, isn't it?

You can buy my Pond how-to book here

It is consistently in the top ten best sellers in Landscaping. 

It's on sale now for a buck.  Get it before the price goes back up.

And for pond info visit us at pondlady.com  You will find knowledgeable folks there who are glad to answer your questions.

Thank you for stopping by this morning.