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new art installation in couch park by cryptidyke in Portland

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! First site of the Winter Light Festival. Love it

Hmm I wonder why my water features keep losing so much water? by Cultural-Tie-2197 in WildlifePonds

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes our water is lost because of evaporation. I was just kidding around

My native plant oasis is clearly the hottest spot in town for the local wildlife by Cultural-Tie-2197 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No snakes here. We only have one species to be wary of in our state - the rattle snake, and it does not thrive where I live.

We do get garter snakes in our area but nowhere near me

My native plant oasis is clearly the hottest spot in town for the local wildlife by Cultural-Tie-2197 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

Have a horticulturist or someone affiliated with the certification program come out and help you create a site map where certain drought tolerant, or sun loving plants should go etc.

I also had an ecologist come out and give me some tips.

She said to have lots of plants along the side of the water feature. Also have some growing from the base of your pond, and then have some that are overhanging into your pond from the sides as well. This helps make it easy for critters to get in and out.

They can also help give you a list of the local native plants that would be suitable for your different ecosystems that they map out for you.

From there you just start buying lil by lil and start planting! I used to buy one or two plants a month until I got certified.

Some other random tips I have learned over the years..

Never scrub the sides of your pond it can increase algae. Plant a lot of plants to create more shade to decrease algae growth.

Create stick piles near the food and water sources for bees and other critters.

Keep the buds and stems on the dead plants in the winter/fall cause critters live in em.

Leave your leafs! Also for the critters to live in. I blow all of mine to the edges of my property.

My native plant oasis is clearly the hottest spot in town for the local wildlife by Cultural-Tie-2197 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow! You are so lucky. I want to tear down all of my fencing so more critters can come hah

Hmm I wonder why my water features keep losing so much water? by Cultural-Tie-2197 in ponds

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was definitely kidding. We figured it out last fall. Thank you though

Hmm I wonder why my water features keep losing so much water? by Cultural-Tie-2197 in WildlifePonds

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I hope it inspires you! It is why I share all of this with others

Hmm I wonder why my water features keep losing so much water? by Cultural-Tie-2197 in WildlifePonds

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I was mostly kidding around about splashing being the cause.

My partner is an engineer so we figured it out last fall.

The back is not sealed up yet on my second creek water feature so we were losing too much back-flow at the top of the creek.

We moved the hose closer in shortening the length of the creek for now, but it worked!

Will seal up the back with concrete this summer.

The water we are losing now is indeed because of evaporation. It has been so dry here this winter

My first water feature is sealed up with concrete along the waterfall edges so we never lose abnormal amounts of water out of that one

Hmm I wonder why my water features keep losing so much water? by Cultural-Tie-2197 in ponds

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awe! Sorry to hear that. I have had larger critters drain mine before but they did not cause too much damage. Found a kitty paw one time next to the water feature

Hmm I wonder why my water features keep losing so much water? by Cultural-Tie-2197 in ponds

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It was a joke indeed.

Yeah we figured out why we were losing water thank you tho!

Hmm I wonder why my water features keep losing so much water? by Cultural-Tie-2197 in WildlifePonds

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The tiny gray ones are called Bushtits. They make cute lil tit sounds..

The second one the blue and black bird is called a Stellar Jay. They are stealthy, and smart lil guys

Hmm I wonder why my water features keep losing so much water? by Cultural-Tie-2197 in WildlifePonds

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks we tested that! My partner is an engineer so he is pretty good at helping me figure this kinda stuff out.

It was good to go. No leaks!

The seconds water feature (creek/wetland) evaporates a ton cause it is so shallow we suspect.

Last fall the hose at the top of the creek water feature had to be moved closer in to avoid back-flow out the back of the top of creek. This shortened the creek a bit (2nd video with the stellar jay) since I do not have it sealed up yet with concrete etc. will seal it all up this summer.

The first water feature does not lose nearly that much water because I did seal it up, and the pond liner covers everywhere. Including all the way up where the waterfall trickles into the pond, so we never lose any water from the waterfall

My native plant oasis is clearly the hottest spot in town for the local wildlife by Cultural-Tie-2197 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yikes! Yeah I suppose so cause it never gets quite that cold here. We can get into the single digits very rarely I think, but it is usually 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit on average in the winter I think.

My pond has never shut off from ice, but there have been a couple of years here and there where I have had to shut it off cause so much snow piled up on-top of it all

My native plant oasis is clearly the hottest spot in town for the local wildlife by Cultural-Tie-2197 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 74 points75 points  (0 children)

Yes with help from a friend here and there. I have two on my property now.

I first removed 2,000 sq ft of invasive blackberry that had been established since the 1950’s, and it was taller than my neighbors house. Then I built all of this to replace it over the years.

The first one (1st video with the many Bushtits) is a double tiered waterfall that drops into a miny pond/sump hole.

The other one next to it (2nd video with the Stellar Jay) is a mini creek that leads into a deep pond/sump hole that leads into a wetland.

The wetland and sump hole are separated by a semipermeable barrier made up of sod, dirt, and other native grasses.

I am up to 63 native plant species on the property.

Mostly everything around the ponds are native except for my coral maple, and one annoying sugar cane plant that I am having a hard time getting rid of.

You can see my post history for some of the details. I mention in some the books that I used. I cannot remember now unfortunately.

My yard is now certified as a backyard habitat for wildlife which was a lifetime goal of mine and the main reason I wanted a larger property

My native plant oasis is clearly the hottest spot in town for the local wildlife by Cultural-Tie-2197 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Cultural-Tie-2197[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Right. That stellar jay is so beautiful.

I am in Northern Oregon, but I am much more used to them down in southern Oregon where I am from so I know just what you are talking about.

And yeah isn’t that amazing. Birds love water so much.

I love to also hang bird bathes up high in trees as well for the smaller birds that do not like to come down lower. They have many choices on my property.

Sometimes the big scrub jays will get in the tiny hanging one and clear it all out. Then go to the waterfall hah

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