Trip to the aquarium

Update. Plants are looking good, the lily is definitely establishing itself, with new pads coming up and older (perhaps damaged in transport) pads rotting away a bit. Mare’s tail looking good. Grasses standing tall. Still a bit unsure about the Nymphoides peltata, so will keep trimming the yellowing leaves to avoid dumping excess nutrients into the water. I also raised a few plants like the Veronica beccabunga and the creeping jenny by placing them on larger granite blocks.

It’s been super hot recently in London so I went and bought more oxygenators in person at an aquarium shop. You can see them anchored down in their little plastic pots on the bottom right of the pic above. With the higher temperatures I’m concerned about the warmer water’s ability to hold less dissolved oxygen, and the heat and light driving excessive algae growth.

Also spotted a Jersey tiger moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria) in the garden. I don’t think this is a direct result of the new aquatic environment, but it’s nice to see nonetheless. It’s a species worth noting: until recently it was confined to the Channel Islands and the south Devon coast, but it’s now established across London and expanding into the surrounding counties, a range shift within living memory. Unusually for a moth, it flies both day and night.

I’m hoping for some cooler weather to limit any algal growth over the next few days, lest the pond turns to pea soup eyyyyy.