About Us

 

In 2007 we created a natural fish pond and with the help from our local conservation department and a wetland grant also created two small ponds. 

 

What an education it has been and continues to be.  Our property became a wildlife magnet and a class room for our grandchildren.  There is always lessons to be learned and new experiences that make our lives much more enjoyable.

Wildlife photography is something we have enjoyed for many years but to create a habitat that attracts wildlife is even more exciting and documenting the changes though photography is more meaningful.

 

In 2007 the pond was built, by professionals but we mulched with hay, spread wildflower and grass seeds.  The ponds took a full winter and spring to fill.  In the early spring of 2008 we added lime to the big pond.

 

 Wildflowers started popping up, wetland plants were transplanted from other parts of our property, a variety of seedling nut and fruit trees were also planted around the ponds. Mowing around the ponds did not start until the fall of 2008.  We now mow once or twice a year. 

 

 

The large pond is about an acre and 15 ft. deep.  Several pines had to be removed to build this and were placed in piles to provide brush for wildlife dens or shelter.  The pines and hemlock in the background of this photo protect the brook. The martin house was added the first year, but so far no purple martins have arrived.  Several people have martin house - no one in this area has them either.  Perhaps the Endless Mountains region is just not attractive to purple martins.    

The view from the other side of the pond towards our house.  There is an old hedge row about 50 feet from the pond with a tumbled down stone wall and mature maples, hickories and apple trees, as well as honeysuckle, hawthorn, multiforal rose, and autumn olive brush.  We have tried to clear out the mutiflora rose and autumn olive because they are considered evassive non-natives but so much of the wildlife feed on the rose hips and berries that they are growing everywhere!  These plants are hard to control and grow fast so it's a loosing battle trying to control either of them in this hedge row. 

This is the view of our big pond from our back deck.  It is about 250 feet from our house just beyond the hedgerow.   This was taken in June when the lupins were bloomingand before the pond dropped about two feet from lack of rain.  The hedge row hides the other two ponds from view which give the green-backed or great blue herons the privacy that they love. Occassionally in the spring, waterfowl will stop and check out the pond, or the belted kingfishes like to hunt minnows from the top of the swing, but this year when we saw an osprey fishing for the trout, that was pretty exciting.  We never thought our stocked pond would attract such a spendid hawk.  We don't mind sharing our fish with an osprey.  

Some of the minnows that were added in the spring of 2008; they  came from a local fish hatchery. 

Cattail heads were gathered in the fall of 2007 and just tossed in the pond too seed - the following spring we had our own cattails.  The water lilies came from a local nursery, but their roots were full of algae that later grew into thick mats around the edges of the pond, which was great for the minnows to spawn in.

 This is the middle pond which has the most cattails.  Right now it is very low because of lack of rain in our area.   Cattails are a survival food, in that the roots and young shoots are edible.  The long leaves can be woven into mats. The fluff from the cattails can be used as fire starters, the pollen can be used to make flatbread or to thicken soups.   They also help keep the water quality healthy and attract more wildlife.  There as also water liles in this pond which the deer love to eat.

The lower pond is more open with cattails, duck plantain, bullrush, sedges, and other water plants but no water lilies because it is the most shallow and could completely dry up - it is about a foot low in this photo but seems to be the favorite with the dragonflies!  Frogs and newts can be found in all the ponds but for some reason the newts are most abundant in this one. In the backgound there is a bench to sit and relax in and watch the dragonflies chase each other.  

 
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