dwarf waterlily , sky mirror

A tiny water lily, 3 inches across, in a pond that mirrors the sky.

(Best viewed enlarged)

And another.

dragonfly

Awe inspiring, prehistoric and gloriously free. Last week we were lucky to have three Southern hawker dragonflies (Aeshna cyanea) emerge from the pond. The scale is difficult to gauge from these pictures, but the wingspan is about 4 inches from tip to tip.

Affter waiting in the depths of the pond, feeding on invertebrates for perhaps two years, they emerge to enjoy their short summer lives. A few weeks at the best time of the year.

I think these may be females-the males tend to be bluer. I hope at least one returns to lay her eggs in the pond.

Please click the pictures to enlarge them.

A tiny annual miracle

Here it is! The first frog spawn in the pond for this year. I don’t think I will ever lose my delight at finding this tiny manifestation of creation .

Freshly laid spawn is much firmer than when it has been in the water for a few days. It sits proud of the surface, before slowly sinking as water is absorbed through the cell walls.

In this early stage it is quite vulnerable to frost damage and we have a couple of very cold nights(by Southern England standards) forecast. I may take a very small quantity of the spawn and raise it in an aquarium in a sheltered part of the garden. The tadpoles can be released back into the pond later on, but I may be able to prevent all being killed by frost. And it will be fun to watch it develop, because I am still big kid when it comes to things like this!