October 2001.
This month it became necessary to chop down the plants and put a leaf cover on the pond before the leaves really started dropping. It's been a very warm October and I am intending to feed the fish for a couple more weeks - probably stopping when the first frosts come. It doesn't really feel like Autumn at all. The Azolla is still multiplying like mad but I have got rid of as much as possible to prevent it from rotting in the pond when the frosts come. I have also moved some Water Salvina and Frogbit into the porch to overwinter.
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The green floating thing in the picture an Ice Guard which is designed to leave a hole in the Ice when it freezes and provide a little house for Frogs. It is quite heavy and is made out of polystyrene and metal so hopefully it will mean I won't have to mess around with saucepans in the cold weather.
I purchased a ready made pond cover from Agriframes. It is reasonably robust but was a little expensive considering it is just a rectangle of tubular steel with mesh and cable ties. Still it saved me messing around making my own and they do do custom and raised models. Notice that it is up on bricks to keep it secure and hopefully let the frogs and other wildlife get access without letting too many leaves in.
