Welcome back to a long - almost lost friend

Great where have you been?? I have sent messages and I wondered if your computer was on the blink ! Anyway your back now, its lovely to see your pond and well done on finding a stag beetle, they will enjoy your log pile and hide in there for years, did you know they take at least five years to mature, bless, no wonder we dont see many!! Look at your plants, my, how they have grown? Look forward to having chats on here with you again. x

havnt seen a stag beetle for a long time either.... yout pond is coming along nicely.......

Lovely to have another blog from you :o)

Nice to see you back with us Great! Your pond is looking really good, well done you! I've never seen a stag beetle in my life, so thank's for showing the pic....:o)

hi Great.....we told you they would find your pond.....glad the oxygenators are doing their job...should help keep your water crystal clear ! The Stag beetle is wonderful !!

Thanks so much everyone.
Grandmage I sent you a PM a while ago. Lots have been happening not all good I'm afraid but im still here with you all, and still loving it...........OMG that sounded like a McDonalds advert lol Stag beetles are meant to love rotting wood arent they?? my little friend is often seen with the brochoili. Prehaps he/shes a posh beetle!!

Have been checking my pms, so will look again, I have really missed you. Love your Mc.D ditty, Lol, you dont have to be mad to be on here but if you are it helps!! LOL. Re. Stag B, put more logs in piles next to your fence and they will love them, they munch the wood !! Maybe yours wants his five a day !

P.S have not got your pm yet ? (6.15)!

Grandmage sent it on the 11 july hun. you may need to go back a bit lol

Your pond is looking more mature now and it's good to hear you so upbeat about it :) Good things come to those who wait :))

told you wild life would come. it is fantastic for you Great. keep looking and always take the camera out with you :o)

It doesn't take long for wild things to find good habitat. When I bought my house 4 years ago we had one frog species breeding in back. Now, along with Cope's grey treefrogs, there are spring peepers, American toads, green treefrogs and eastern narrowmouth toads. The narrowmouth toads are really abundant this year! I didn't do anything special to attract them - I just didn't mow most of the back. It has gone to meadow. I'd like to put in a pond or bog area eventually.

I agree Aster, although as you know I don't like waiting lol but it has been worth it

SBG I know, I know, thanks for all your help and the plants.x Regards camera Nearly lost it the other day fell out of my hand just caught it before it fell in the pond!! That will teach me to wear the wrist strap ha ha
Lauram you have all that wildlife and NO pond!!!! wow thats amazing

Looking brilliant Great and so pleased that you chilled and watched it grow in front of you. Give it a year and it will be different agin and for your perusal, I have posted a snap of my pond this week after 10 months or so in the garden. I have no frogs but I check every night for any wildlife and one thing I did spot last week......a baby water snail. I had 5 originally and now there's a baby one in there so all in good time......BUT I WANT A FROG!!!!!!

Great to see you back here:o))

Nice to see your pond flourishing , and all the creatures you're getting there. :o)) Good luck

So pleased your pond is doing so well, and lots of wildlife is starting to come.

Your pond is looking great, Great LOL. It's amazing what you can achieve with a small space. So glad it's coming along and you have lots of new friends.

Thanks Doctorbob1, everyday I look at it and notice something different. Thanks for the PM

hi hun u ok now c how u have bin missed . love ur wild life. i 2 saw my 1st dragonfly as well 2 day. but i think if i saw that bettle i wud have run lol . xx

well, I've sort of cheated because I put out a few unused stock tanks every year for the treefrogs. They breed there in huge numbers and the babies are just so cute. The frogs were already in the vicinity but it's amazing how they seemed to find my place after I began letting everything just revert back to meadow.
The narrowmouth toads will breed in shallow pans of water. Having lots of turtles and such I always have empty rubbermaid tubs and plastic shoeboxes lying around & it is difficult to stay tidy. My mess is the toads' gain because, it turns out, my sloppy storage area collects water and gives them safe breeding spots. I rarely see them but they have a distinctive call & they have been incredibly abundant this year.
I'm so glad your pond is attracting critters! In my opinion, one of the best things we can do for the environment is create habitats and microhabitats for wildlife....could be as obvious as a pond or as simple as an unmowed strip of lawn or an area with natural plantings.
It's not just frog populations that are increasing at my place. I've been hearing lots of whipporwills during the summer, more hawks & owls, & I'm seeing more birds - winter visitors and also migrants during spring and fall.

Thanks Christina I didn't know so many people cared and missed me.

I agree totally Lauram creating habitats and microhabitats for wildlife is what we should all be doing