Pond Cleaning Time

Now that the ice has melted and we've had a few warm days, the algae in the pond is growing like crazy. This algae came with the water lilies last summer - blanketweed it's called.

As you lift it out with a strong rake, it sheds water and forms a thin blanket of dark green. I'm grateful this is a natural clay pond. If it had a liner, removing the algae would be virtually impossible - certainly a lot harder than it is now. I think we removed 40 or 50 pounds. We'll have to stay on top of this or we'll have a pond that looks like green pudding.

The frogs love it though ... lots of cover and protection from predators.