Critters and Plants

Whats a pond without critters and plants?

You'll notice I like to take photos of just about anything.With most of the images below I can't come close to giving the correct names for the dragonflies or plants.With the plants its my fault!I always throw away the tags and then forget! I've had help with the IDs of the dragonflies shown below.The blues are known as Blue Dashers,The greens as Eastern Pondhawk and the yellows as Slaty Skimmer if I understood correctly.Visit the sites of Bill Mauffray or Forest Mitchellor Kathy Biggs for lots more info on dragonflies. Clicking on the thumbnails will open a larger image in its own window.

I've always had these guys around the house.Since the pond was put in,they seem to have a place to hang out.

This guys just taking a breather..I'm told dragonflies gender is much like a birds.Meaning the male is more brightly colored than the female.

One of the blues as One of these got into the house one night and it was a chore chasing him down to get him out.Alive I might add!

Here's greenie!These guys get large enough to snatch minnows from the the river.I've also noticed that the larger they get that their tail takes on a spoon shape?

Here's a yellow or golden dragonfly.This is the first year(98) that I've really noticed them.

Another image of a golden(?) dragonfly.Whats neat about this one it appears this guys smiling for the camera?

A damselfly on one of the hyacinths.I'm told is called a Variable Dancer.

A pretty large Praying Mantis.The larger of the 3 here is a female.I tossed her grasshoppers throughout the summer.She left her eggs in one of the ornamental grasses by the pond.

This is one of several varieties of frogs/toads I've seen.It gets noisy around here in the spring.

This guy blends well with everything.Easy enough to pass him by.

Some of the Koi.Since this photo was taken the large white Koi has disappeared.We believe an owl to be the culprit.

More Koi.I also have Comets.They must have liked the pond a lot because they wasted no time increasing their numbers.

When I say we've got critters here I mean it!This is Bessie.A wild(sorta)feral hog that wandered up from the swamp and river behind the house.If you notice she's missing an ear?Thats because one of the neighboorhood dogs didn't want to share food with it.So she's taken up around the house here.

This is whats called locally a Swamp Hibiscus.I'm told its a native plant of Georgia.It can reach a height of 8 ft and has really massive red blooms

Here's an image of the spider lily we have here.The bad part about pond plants blooming is they don't last very long.

This is one of the lilies planted around the border of the pond.

Here's another one.This one is actually in clay pots(there's two) by the swing we have at the ponds edge.

Here's a pic of whats called Yellow Flag iris.

Here's one of the lily blooms.This has a habit of standing up out of the water like a tropical lily.But its overwintered in the pond just fine.

Here's another lily bloom.

This plant is called Azolla or Water Fern.Its a very small plant that multiplies very quickly.The fish like it so its kept under control.

Well here's the water hyacinth bloom.Bad part is they seldom last longer than a day.These multiply fast also.

This bloom is from a lily called Spatterdock.The bloom is slightly larger than a golf ball.What the bloom lacks is size is made up for with its big leaves and stalks.

Here's a critter of the feathered kind.A hawk.Good thing he's looking in the wrong direction!The ponds behind him.Except for a couple of Koi that came up missing,I've not had a problem with any of the critters that show up here.

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