Pond Pictures

BIGSNEST POND CONSTRUCTION
Here are some pictures of our pond as it developed during its first year, 1996.
(updated March '99)

The pond in its former life was a 24 foot round doughboy swimming pool. We took down the sides to the pool and this link will show you what was left and what we had when we started the pond: a big hole in the ground with only the old `doughboy' pool liner and some dirty water. A few water hyacinths along with the cement blocks and carpeting were added fight after we dug a trench around what had been the perimeter of the pond. This would now form the pond's strong edge. We experimented with having a pond using just the old swimming pool's blue liner, but although it held the water fine, it just didn't look natural. So after forming the edge with the cement blocks and cutting carpet strips to go over the bricks to cushion their edges, we bought cheap black plastic and covered the blue liner with it. We'd already put mosquito fish in to keep the mosquitoes out, so, as the prior link shows, I had to wear waders and step right in! We had to piece the black liner together using a spray-on plastic cement. Then when we filled it, ..surprise!.. the black liner floated! So we added river rocks to hold it down. This created a very natural look and we had planned to have a beach and so it fit right in! The beach is where, in the previous link, the plastic shows in front. We created steps into the pond and planting shelves by filling sandbags and placing them between the blue and black plastic layers. Finally it was time to fill the pond.
This is how the pond looked when we first filled it, in early July 1996. Note that at this point the black liner still showed, but our edging was secure, our "beach" was in, and we were able to start adding plants.
Besides adding plants into the pond, we originally placed potted plants along the top edging of the pond to protect the plastic and to give the pond a more pleasing look while we thought out and developed its edging. We didn't want to hurry or spend a lot of $$$$. Our idea was to have fun doing this, and to have it end up JUST as we wanted it. Here is a link to a picture of the pond in early August with various rocks and plants balanced along the edge, and a log we collected on our Mt. Shasta property loosely placed between the pond and the walkway. If you look REALLY closely at that picture, you can see "Big Red" our dragonfly `mascot' from our pond's front/first webpage. Our goal was to have the pond look natural and like it belonged. One way to accomplish this is to have various edging treatments rather than just having it lined with rocks.
Another thing we really like about our pond is that it is right outside our kitchen window. Here is a link to a picture of our niece Eileen, taken thru the kitchen window while she is cleaning the pond. She came down from Oregon to help us build the pond.

By mid-August 1996, the liner no longer showed and although only 2 months 'old' the pond was already beginning to look like a natural part of our yard. We'd been busy and collected and put in these natives: Creeping Primrose, Water Pennywort, Water Plantain, Scripus Cernus (grass), and the non-native Water Hyacinth. At the very left edge of the photo you can see the dead Manzanita branch that we also collected from our Shasta camping site. It complements and defines our beach of 1" river rock. By having part of the branch in, and part of it out of the water, we created a very natural transition from land to water. All of the rocks around the pond are ones we'd collected. Click here to see the beach one year later in August 1997.

This picture, also taken in August, is from the site of the future 'sunny' bog. On the north side is typha minima, more creeping primrose and water pennywort. The tiny red spot by the 'frog spitter' is "Big Red" from the previous page. Behind the frog spitter is the straight log we brought back from our Mt. Shasta property, now properly seated and giving the appearance of holding back the water. In reality we hollowed out a trough down its length and fitted it over the cement block edge. The plastic liner goes between the carpet covered cement blocks and the log. We used it as an edging material to give the pond a more natural appearance. We feel that having several different edging materials (beach rocks, edging stones, boulders, lawn, log) makes the pond not only more interesting to view, but also makes it seem larger besides more natural.

By late October we had added the 'sunny' bog and boulders for the future waterfall, which we imitated here by pouring water over the boulders from a hose! To see how the boulders were brought in, click here.

This fall picture taken across the 'sunny' bog shows the pretty golden color the typha minima turns in October. Dave, main pond-builder muscle-man, holds Ribsy, one of our cats who all enjoy the new large 'cat-waterer' we've provided. The reflections on the pond are a feature we always enjoy.

This shot was taken New Year's Day. The Monet-ish quality is because the picture was taken while it was POURING rain! That is the day that it RAINED here in Northern California and flooded the nearby Russian River. We are happy to report that our overflow controls on the pond worked perfectly.

Click here to see a few pictures of ice on the pond taken Jan. 21, 1997: Ice on the pond

This image, taken in May 1997, completes the pond's 1st year photo album: We had FINALLY researched and bought a pump and got our waterfall working and the water in the pond recirculating! It looks and sounds wonderful, and seems to help keep the algae down.

Click here to see the pond on its first birthday

Click here to see the pond's 2nd year (1997) development.

This will take you to see pictures of the 3rd year (1998).

From here you may watch the pond change in 1999 .

Click here the site for the new century's growth!

We encourage you to click Wildlife Sightings to see a partial list of the wildlife that has visited our wildlife pond and given us so much enjoyment. There are links to pictures of as many of them as I have been able to catch on film.

and/or

click here to see a checklist of and information about the 100+ California Dragonfly and Damselfly species. This site has links to pictures for as many of the species as I can take/find pictures of.

Now available
Common DRAGONFLIES of California
A Beginner's Pocket Guide


by Kathy Biggs

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