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                         a   S T A M M E R  project              

2007 May 19 & 20, Saturday & Sunday

 On Saturday we bought the liner (9.0 x 4.5m) and placed it in the future pond. It fitted perfectly and the perimeter stayed a nice rectangle. Then I put big boulders in the deep area in such a way that they couldn't fall or move, maintaining the relatively steep slopes. Then I put another protective layer of 4cm of fine sand on the remaining area and on top of that I started to fill with soil. During the following night it rained 5 litres/m2 and this resulted in a somewhat premature premiere of the pond but fortunately the water didn`t come very high. The following morning I continued with the soil. On top of the soil I will put some strategic big boulders here and there and most of the rest will be covered by pebbles. A mayor worry is the occcasional visit of the wild pigs . They will probably be atracted by the water and perhaps start to move soil and stones and (nightmare) perforate the liner with their fangs. Part of the protection must come from the boulders and pebbles but I didn't have time to do the complete job so I hope that they are not too thirsty these days...

Blanca in the extreme west of the pond.
Saturday 16:05

Looking east.
The pond after introducing the boulders, the layer of fine sand and some soil on the right. The water was a bonus of mother nature.
Sunday 8:56

Looking norteast. The pond with more boulders and soil.
Sunday 18:25

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Two more orchids appeared on the terrain: the Woodcock orchid  (Ophrys scolopax) and the Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum). The Limodore immediately calls attention for the absence of green leaves. It is indeed a kind of parasitic plant but of a rather special kind: it's myco-heterotroph and gets its nutrients via fungi.

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What is sometimes amazing is when you detect a species that is massively flowering and you had no idea of its presence before. This was the case with Crupina vulgaris , a frail Centaurea-like plant with a very long wiry stem.

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The opposite is the case with a relative: Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) which is present the whole year round with its leaves and even in autumn or winter with the occasional flower. The flower in the photograph is the first one of its official flowering season (from June to August).
Other beauties are Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare) and  Yellow
Goat's-beard (Tragopogon dubium) especially when observed close by.

Close-up of Yellow
Goat's-beard.
Saturday 8:47

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On the superior, western terrace with low and little vegetation all kinds of surprises and subtleties occur and I am glad I didn't start the mayor upheaval that would have happened when introducing the big rocks (see 14 April 2007) and the smaller substituting rocks do give a nice touch.

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Nice snapshot of what must be a species of Flycatcher (Muscicapa). It was sitting high up on a dead branch that I didn't cut away in winter especially for cases like this: being able to watch birds which otherwise would be hidden behind leaves.

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The most striking and also busiest (insects) shrub these days is Common Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), a plant that should be present in any wild garden throughout almost the whole of Europe. It has beautiful flowers, although with a relatively short flowering period that is compensated by the following decorative berries. It's branches have a nice red colour especially the young ones while the older ones turn yellow because of adhering lichenes (but that will depend on the habitat). In autumn also the leaves get a similar red colour.

introduction
floristic catalogue
faunistic catalogue
contact
index
gallery 1: 2006-2012
gallery 2: 2012-
map
>> 2007 May 26
<< 2007 May 12