Just under 2 months after being completed and christened with Koi and plants from Moore haven, we have another announcement about the success of the ponds.
Of coarse flooding, the original drive behind the ponds and wetland has longs since been controlled, the enjoyment of the spaced created is just beginning.
And we have news!
Not only are there polliwogs (tadpoles) galore, but yesterday when we were there, putting the final touches in the beaches along the variable edge, but there are baby fish. And there are only 4 koi in the big pond.
Above-The lower pond just a few months ago.
Below-Brad on his favorite rock marveling over the successful habitat, where breading has brought fish and frogs both.
Though a few goldfish inhabited the big pond earlier, it is unlikely that any eggs they had laid made it through the final stage of the ponds (E/L week 4).
This leaves two possibilities. That these little fish, less than an inch long and almost translucent floated the rapids of the E/L Middle fork, or these are baby Koi. It may be wishful thinking, but when viewed underwater with a mask, they seem to have an assortment of variations of skin pigmentation.What really blew me away today was the 50 + frogs we found today along the pond edge. These, some with tails, are positively baby frogs from the tadpoles.
Above-Frog at E/L lower pond edge, born and raised same spot.
Below/Right-Baby Koi, compliments of Google image search.
They appear to be of the spotted frog type and not our native tree frogs but today they were so small and so brilliant green, it was hard to say.
Two Bellow-There are tadpoles in the pond that are bigger than this newly amphibious frog. I suspect there from the large toad (bottom).
Interesting that some of the tadpoles in the pond are larger than fully operational frogs. I'm wondering if the big toad has a batch of young coming too?
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