The clearance around the pond mentioned in my last post was now some time ago, so I thought that this would be good place to start. In early 2018 I dug out the pond, which had become very silted up as the inlet from the stream (which is actually more of a farmland run-off ditch) is upstream of the pond - which means that debris and silt coming down the stream settles in the pond. So I used the diggings to create an upstream dam so that the water in the pond is now a back flow through a porous bank which I have planted with yellow iris (the porous bank is on the right of the photo). Hopefully this will act as a filter and mean that there is less sediment in the pond in future.
I have also raised the water level in the pond a few inches by putting in a dam. Although, as you may be able to see, there is water coming under the dam at present and I need to puddle in some clay to seal it.
The green in the pond is grass - which has gained a foothold as the last two summers have been so dry. I was hoping that once waterlogged it would die off - but it actually looks very healthy. Maybe I will have to get the waders on to pull it up, which does not sound like a very pleasant winter task!
The majority of the bank around the pond still has cover for animals and I have made log piles as shelter for frogs, toads and newts.
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