The green is coming!

It is so nice to see the fish again. I noticed yesterday the pollen is starting to collect on the edges of the pond already. Pollen season is kicking in. It gets so thick. Last year the local news had people send in drawings they did on their cars in the pollen. A layer of light green builds up on everything. It is going to be a test for us to see if we can keep the pond clear through the dreaded Richmond Pollen assault of 2008.

Truman's big day

The sun came out yesterday. So did the Lizard. She kept trying to climb trees but, she is too clumsy to get very high. I gave her a boost up. She loves it! Look at that happy face!
Just hanging around..
She spent a long time admiring the new clean pond. The first day she saw it, when we first moved here, she dove right in. It was cold!...and there was no bottom under her feet. She swam fine but it freaked her out. She likes the nice warm bath tub. She was thinking hard with her little brain, about trying it out again yersterday...
Hearts over Truman.

Yesterdays drawing

They are back! The tent worms, yuck! I found some in our apple tree yesterday. There is a woods across the street from us and a few trees have been killed by the tent worms. They are completely infested. Now the suckers are migrating to our trees. Time to close the border! Last year I battled them with my trusty, Dr. Bronners Peppermint Oil soap. It worked very effectively. I have to be careful. Last year when the dead clump of oil soap soaked silk and worms fell to the ground, Frankenstein ate it! He was sick for a day. Wormy, peppermint Chug tummy ache.

Bombus Fervidus?

Well I think that is what it is. The common name is Golden Northern Bumble Bee. They have Pollen baskets on their hind tibia, I read it in a book...hum, baskets built on their legs...I feel a drawing coming on. I found this guy by the pond the other night, he was slowly fading as the temp dropped. I put him in a safe place. Hoping he would come to to life with the sun rise. When I checked on him the next morning, there was a small hole in his head and he had been sucked dry!...breakfast for someone. Right now he is resting on the big globe..inspiration!

UPDATE: a tip from a new friend leads up to believe this may be a Bombus vegans worker, check it out here.

Yesterdays drawing

Just one today. He is a firefly. After getting the pond back together yesterday, we sat on the bench and enjoyed it. I saw what I thought was a firefly. I am not sure if it was, or if it is too early in the season for them. I love how odd and clumsy they are...also enchanting and magical.

Happy Fish

It is all better. We got a new fancy filter/fountain combo. I made fresh clean homes for all the water plants. The cinder block castle got scrubbed down too. It is all so clear and clean. The fish seem happy exploring there new clean space.
We had 9 fish. Skeletor and one of the gold fish must have been someones lunch, at some point this winter. Skeletor alone was about a $150. Koi, that is a pretty fancy meal! For now all is well in our little pond.

pond...

The Big Irish Head fills the pond with his thick, roapy stream...
perfection! We decided that in August we will kick the fish out. Let them take a vacation in the mini pond and have a people pool party! It looks so inviting.
Here are the fish and water plants in the mini pond.
It was a cool gray day, but we got the job done. The scary part is still to come. We have to re-release the fish and that is the tricky part. Hopefully, the water has distilled and is safe for them. We are giving it a full 24 hours before we try. As for now, we are off to the pond store to pick-up supplies.