We’ve had such a disappointing summer this year. Few new species are being recorded, and August and September saw the rains return. September was especially wet in South West England, and as a consequence, we spent less time in the garden.
Thankfully August began as July ended, bright and sunny and on the 2nd August we found this rather dehydrated Buff-tailed Bumblebee.
You often hear people recommend ways to help bumblebees, such as making up some sugar water. We’ve put together the following note to help advise on ways you can help. The most important thing to remember is that the bumblebee in question may not be in any danger at all and is simply resting. Click HERE for more information.
On the 4th August we recorded this little fella on a grass seedhead.
It took us a little time to pin down which species this shieldbug nymph belonged to. It didn’t turn out to be a new Garden species; rather, it was the early stage of the Sloe Shieldbug we first recorded in our Garden back in June this year. We have just created a short species account for this fantastic-looking species, which can be found HERE.
The ongoing issue in the garden at the moment is the duckweed and blanketweed that has started to overrun the new pond. This is indicative of excess nutrients in the pond, although just where the nutrients are coming from we don’t know. At first, we believed it was due to cats messing on the gravel areas around the pond. However, since placing jagged sticks all around the pond, this seems to have stopped, yet the weed continues.
We have repeatedly allowed the pond to fill with rainwater, mix, and then drain, but this is only having limited success. And, of course, we have removed some of the weeds, but we are wary of removing too much, as a good amount of pond life will be trapped in the weeds as they are extracted. The only other source of nutrients we are aware of would come from the logs we have placed in the pond, but for now, we are not considering these significant contributors.
One thing that isn’t helping is the fact we have no other pond plants established. Online guidance suggests the plants will arrive of their own accord, and we were rather interested to see this happen. But instead, we now think it is likely we will introduce native pond plants in the spring to take up any excess nutrients and block some of the sunlight entering the water column.
We have also heard that some aeriation can help, so we may consider a solar fountain just to help mix the water more thoroughly so that when we drain a inch or two every week or so during the winter, we will be lowering the nutrients.
Wildlife Garden 