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The Joy of Pond Dipping!

25th Sep 2020

Your pond isn’t just a haven for your fish. It’s also a wet wonderworld full of otherworldly looking creatures, frogs, spawn and other intriguing curiosities. In an article on The Courier website Gayle Ritchie details her garden adventure checking out the teeming life lurking just beneath the surface of her pond.

All you need to start exploring your pond explains Gayle, is a sieve (any old kitchen colander could even do the trick), some kind of tub or receptacle (our Planting Baskets could double for both these purposes), a Net, perhaps a magnifying glass, a camera, a towel to dry your hands and some kind of guide or creature ID book. Of course a smartphone could stand in for several of these items in one – as you can use it as a camera, magnifier, and guidebook (via the internet), all in one. And many newer smartphones are waterproof these days meaning you don’t have to worry about water getting in and breaking it, or even dropping it in the water!

Once you’ve got your kit ready you can get out there and get dipping. Just sweep your net, sieve or container across the surface of the pond. We recommend a figure of 8 motion to get to all regions of your pond and pick up the widest range of wildlife.

Kaye discovered among other things tadpoles, tiny snails and a creature that ‘…looked like something out of a horror movie when magnified, with its bug eyes, six crooked legs, jutting antennae and two tails. Arghh!’ 

Who knows what might be lurking just beneath the surface in your pond too? You can check out  Kaye’s full article here.