Going Going Gone

 The pond is empty and the liner is removed.  When we emptied the pond, we moved three Goldfish and seven Frogs to the large pond.  Hopefully they will like their new accommodations.  We filled it with 7 wheelbarrows full of dirt.  We plant to use it as a planting area for the next year.  If that doesn't work, we'll extend the patio.

Small Pond Retirement

 A month ago, we had a black snake laying across the small pond.  The dog saw him and started barking like crazy.  We dragged the dog inside and I moved the snake over the fence in the back of the yard.  For several days, the dog would focus excessive barking around the pond.  Then he forgot until this week when he started attacking the pond pulling to pump out.  I protected it with some wood but we decided to retire the pond to fix the problem with the dog.

Raccoon Closeup

 The neighborhood Raccoon got much closer to the camera than he did a month ago giving us a nice closeup picture.  The day before the camera caught a Squirrel in mid stride.  I don't know where he was going but he was moving pretty fast. 

Buck Family Photos

 We were lucky with the Buck coming close to the camera with his family so we could get a good look at his developing antlers.  My wife said it is unusual for Bucks to hang around with the Doe and baby but we've seen this guy a number of times.  Obviously he is a devoted family man.  I hope his antlers continue to develop and we get some more photos of him.

Volunteer Plants Look Great

 Sometimes volunteer plant are the best plants in the garden.  We have volunteers in both pots on the front porch that hold our Japanese Maple trees.  first is a Butterfly bush that has really taken off in the past month.  The second is a beautiful display of Clown flowers surrounding the trunk of on of the Maple trees.  Both plants appeared without any help from me.

Bullfrog and Turtle

 Some of the plants are already starting to lose leaves as fall approaches.  This opened a better view of our Bullfrog sitting on a rock in the large pond.  Yesterday we were surprised to see a Turtle about five inches long headed toward the pond.  I don't know if he was really going to the pond or just passing by but it is unusual for us to see Turtles around the pond.  I think this is the kind of Turtle that grows to a foot long or more.

Black Magic

 Three months ago I pulled the dried up Black Magic Elephant Ears from the greenhouse where they spent the winter.  They recovered nicely with the pond water and warm summer weather.  Joining them in the second picture is our three year old Banana tree that also spends the winter in the greenhouse.  This year it will get a new pot and fresh soil before the first frost and then back in the greenhouse.