Thread by @EppingForest365

🐸🐉🎉Celebrating our one year anniversary 🎉🐸🐉

From lawn to #wildlifepond
12months of growth, life and joy

Few things have made lockdown more bearable
1/13
@PondManUK @ARC_Bytes @froglifers @PondRiverStream @urbanponds101 @jeremybiggs @EssexWildlife #lockdownpond

Breaking ground! After removing turf and top soil we took a break from digging to arrange a wood pile and hibernaculum. Our hoped for residents wouldn't be short of winter accommodation.
A butterfly bank was added for good measure.
2/13
#wildlifepond #ukpond

Deeper digging began in earnest. Mistakes were made, depths were delved and a pond shaped hole emerged.
3/13
#wildlifepond #ukpond

Ceremonial laying of the liner, adding water collected in our butt to help it settle. Edges pinned with stones and much anxious use of spirit levels to hoping the lowest point was where we wanted it.
4/13
#wildlifepond #ukpond

Discovering that clay particles will remain suspended indefinetly 🤔🤔🤔
We decided after much experimentation, to add some gypsum.
5/13
#wildlifepond #ukpond

Clearer and clearer as the the first pond plants are added: Marsh Marigold, Water forget-me-not, Loosetrife, Watermilfoil, Hornwort and more. A secure back step is added as the sown wildflowers emerge.
6/13
#wildlifepond #ukpond

Things still feel a bit bare in the pond as spring is sprung, especially the margins, so we add hessian in the hopes of encouraging moss and grasses to colonize. The butterfly bank and wildflower meadow are already riotous.
7/13
#ukpond #wildlifepond

Miraculously visitors arrive; hopping, skipping and hovering their way to the water.
8/13
#ukpond #wildlifepond

Of all the arrivals, none brought more joy than the Smooth Newts. The pond alive with dramatic dance and colourful ritual
9/13
#wildlifepond #ukpond

Slowly even our poorly planned margins were brought alive by nature's ingenuity.
10/13
#wildlifepond #ukpond

And as nature did her thing she attracted an audience. Lockdown but not locked up!
Glorious vitality offering an ever changing tableau outside the back door.
11/13
#lockdownpond #ukpond #wildlifepond

Water Milfoil, Amphibious Bistort, Brooklime, and Starwort have been added, or found their own way as life has a wonderful habit of doing.
12/13
#wildlifepond #ukpond

And so we find ourselves back on winters doorstep. Meadow scythed, pond put to bed and eagerly awaiting the joy and excitement it will bring next year.
The best time we found to put in a #wildlifepond was last year. The next best is now!
🐸🐉🦠🐌🦂🌿🌱🌸🍄
13/13
#ukpond

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