The pond has its fair share of creatures, aside from the bugs: snails, minnows, water striders and the like.
I spotted a minnow with external gills, couldn't get a photo. After some research: a mudpuppy!
From Wiki: In contrast to many salamanders, mudpuppies never lose their gills during maturation from larvae. This aspect of their physiology is known as pedomorphosis. Despite having lungs, which appear to provide little use in respiration,[5] mudpuppies spend their entire lives underwater. The adult gills resemble fish gills in many ways, but differ from fish gills in that they are external and lack any form or operculum or covering.
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minnow
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Up to the house for equipment. I took a bucket and net to see what I could find. No more mudpuppies (I'll keep working on it!), but...
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snails, waterstrider
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snail
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upside down snail!
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For those who know me, I spent 5 years living beside Long Lake, Bala, Muskoka. We cottaged there the previous 45 years, and I got to know the lake, its patterns, and its wildlife (fish and fowl, nocturnal and diurnal, amphibians and reptiles, mammals 2 and 4-legged). Mostly I got to know the infamous, for their disrespect of critters and residents; citiots on jetskis, having day-long bonfires, or popping fireworks every night for 2 weeks in a row when there is a fire ban. Lake Etiquette is a good lesson to learn, and those who cottage, or rent their cottages are wise to learn and teach it to renters. It is destroying cottaging, and the natural beauty of Muskoka. The arrogance and ignorance of the city dweller is appalling. Others agree with me.
What we are privileged to have on our property in south east Ontario is forest, wetland and bog. Surrounded and protected from tourists!Wetlands are provincially protected, if they are significant wetlands, and a tax credit ensues if you are willing to treat the land as such. We are pleased to do so. A rich place of study for a former elementary teacher (25 years in 4 different boards). The bog is navigable in frozen winter, otherwise only the deer and turkey, as well as a momma bear, twin 2-year cubs, the wolf and coyote travel.
Also, on our land, is a delightful frogpond. When we bought the house and property, we weren't sure it was there. You can see, in July, is is covered with a floating water lily. I bought a book, wetland plants, out of curiosity. This one has wee flowers, and it propagates by sending out new shoots from its roots.
The flat surface of the pond is almost covered over with the beautiful green mat. Floating across the surface of the pond, it is a carpet.
4 comments:
I wrote a post last September about the condition we found at our favorite primitive camp site--idiots feeling the need to improve on Mother Nature's design plan. We have been reluctant to go camping again for fear of what we may find.
Ladylike Post. This record helped me in my college assignment. Thnaks Alot
I'm glad you have a pond where you can discover many exciting new-to-you animals and plants. I too feel Muskoka is being ruined. But so is East Gwillimbury. People come here because they like what they see...then try to change it. That does not make sense to me. :)
I would love to have a pond close by, provided they don't breed mosquitoes. They're such a problem over here. There's so much life teeming in a pond.
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