Blue Ribbon

Lake Big Fish
in Spring

As soon as the days start getting sunny and warm, the fish start getting active. They start zipping about the pond, looking for likely bugs to eat. Some of the braver goldfish start hanging out near the edge of the pond, begging for food whenever someone walks by. I usually start feeding the fish semi-regularly sometime in April, when evening temperatures stay in the 50 degree Fahrenheit range. It's a feeding frenzy when I toss a handful of pellets into the pond. Hmmm ... come to think of it, it doesn't matter what time of the year it is, it's always a feeding frenzy when I toss food in.

The Louisiana Iris in the bog bloom in early spring. The Pickerel Rush and the Canna Lilies start their explosive growth at about the same time. And the fish get in on the act, too. The female goldfish start to circle the pond, each with her own group of attendant males, looking for likely places to spawn. Now goldfish are not the smartest creatures on earth, in fact, they are downright stupid. I have rescued fish from the bog (they scoot over the rocky ledge to get in and then seem to forget how to get out) and I have even had to partially dismantle the waterfall to rescue a fish who had wedged herself so tightly in the rocks that she couldn't get out. I have become an expert at pulling goldfish out of tight places by their tails.

As for the mosquito fish, well, they are born pregnant.

Spring 1996 marked the introduction of Murphy the Water Dog to the wonders of his own pond. Murphy loves the water and he loves to fetch things out of the water. Things like rubber dog bones, tennis balls and sticks are not a problem. Unfortunately, Murphy also likes to fetch lily pads, cattails and snails. Murphy thinks the snails are rocks ... every time he bites one he makes this awful face and spits it back out. Of course, by then it's too late for the snail! For 3 years I fenced the pond off using 4 foot hog panel. Not only did it keep Murphy out, it provided a trellis for moonflowers and morning glories. When the pond was rebuilt in the spring of 1999, I took down the hog panel (except for one section, it still has moonflowers growing on it) and hoped. So far Murphy has shown no inclination to go back to raiding the pond for lilies and snails.

Some people repot their lilies in the fall; I prefer to do it in the spring. My rational is that it's better to repot when the plants are growing rather than when they are dormant. In truth, it doesn't seem to make much difference, at least here in North Texas.

Spring in the garden

The pink morning primrose is threatening to take over the entire yard! What started as 6 plants along the border of the pond has become a riot of wildflowers. There are also lots and lots of daffodils and narcissus. They're not native (these are Dutch bulbs!), but I really love the look of daffodils and narcissus in the spring! I plant them in the grass instead of in the flower beds. This gives the yard a bit of a more naturalized look.

Speaking of flower beds, I tend to add new wildflower beds in the spring. All of the wildflower beds in the front yard are edged with brick and slightly raised. Most of the plants in these beds come from either The Heard Museum native plant sale or the Dallas Nature Center.

The birds come home!

Spring is also when the birds start searching for mates and building their nests. The purple martins arrive in early April and immediately start looking for those high rise condominiums. I have a purple martin town house in the yard, but the martins have never nested in it; the sparrows have always moved in first. Yeah, I know I could clean out the sparrow nests, but I always seem to remember too late and I can't evict them after the babies have hatched. However, the crepe myrtle next is now several feet taller than the pole the bird house is mounted on. I don't think even the sparrows use the bird house any more (it's probably jammed too full of old nest material), they build their nests in the arbor or the crepe myrtle.

It seems that north Texas is on the migratory path for a lot of birds. Some of the springtime visitors to Lake Big Fish include

It took several years, but the Goldfinches finally found the thistle feeder hanging near the forsythia. They like to visit in the early morning when it's quiet. The Cedar Waxwings like to visit in massive flocks and eat every berry in sight. Poor Mocky! He's only one bird (granted, a very feisty bird) and he gets so frustrated trying to protect his territory from these greedy visitors.

And it's not only here in Texas that the birds come home! Check out Birdcam 2002 and see Mariah and Cabot-Sirocco, the Peregrine Falcons who nest atop the 19 story Kodak Tower in Rochester, New York. The site has photos, a family tree, a discussion board and lots of Falcon information.

19 April 2002