Build it and they will come

We did, and they have. Frogs that is. Well one at least - so far.

We built a frog pond out front of our home (away from bedrooms and neighbours!) that takes overland flows from two swales out front plus from the front portico and entrance area. And lately it has been developing into a nice little 'web of life'.

We put a variety of wetland reeds and floating plants in, lots of river gravel and larger rocks both submerged and above the surface, plus some timber to provide ramps. Some tiddlers from the Molonglo River are probably feral mosquito fish, but mesh on the outlet will prevent them ever getting away, and they do keep mossies out of it.

First we noticed water boatmen beetles had discovered the pond. Then rosellas started using it as a watering hole. And last night, the first frog arrived - albeit sounding forlorn and lonely.

If he gets some company and starts 'making whoopie', we'll need to devise a way to keep any eggs and tadpoles spearate from the fish, but right now it's all coming along nicely.

Mow your verge!

After several years of not much rain, it seems that many of us have forgotten a few things about grass. So for those with short memories, here are the key points:
1/ When it rains now and then during warmer weather, that green stuff out there (known as “grass”, but sometimes mislabelled “lawn”) tends to grow longer.
2/ When it grows longer, YOU have to mow it – importantly this includes the verge area in front of your place between your property boundary and the kerb (and around the side if you live on a corner). “They” don’t mow it for you.

3/ If you live in a new estate, the developer may have done the mowing over the last couple of years. But once the development is finished and a “maintenance period” elapses, the public areas go “off maintenance”, and “they” will no longer mow it . TAMS will then mow the parks and stuff, but you have to mow your bit of verge.
4/ Living in a townhouse and not having a mower is NOT an excuse for letting it grow a metre high. Point 2 above applies to you too. (I saw a guy trimming his verge grass with a hedge trimmer on Sunday…! Scores B for initiative and A for comedy.)
Tips for townhouses residents: