Pond Health: Thriving dragonflies and fresh plantings!

Dragonflies as a sign of a healthy pond

We have been busy installing new plants at several different ponds this week. Developing a solid buffer around the shoreline is usually a process that takes place over a couple of years. Usually, we add enough plants to get a solid foundation and build from there. Below is an example of an initial planting with soft rush and other aquatic plants at a stormwater BMP in Durham. 

 We like to use plants that are of healthy size, so that they survive well and grow to be much bigger. The expansion to fill out the shoreline takes place naturally as they grow, but we also assist by returning to spread the plants and add new ones. In just a couple of years, a pond can transform from a plain body of water to a thriving aquatic garden and wildlife area.

 More plants also create a larger habitat for more dragonflies. We went to visit some of the ponds in Cary, Raleigh, and Durham, where we stocked dragonfly larvae earlier in the season and were excited to see all kinds of different dragonflies flying around the area. Watch out mosquitoes!!