Some would purchase this property and immediately fill it with rock and dirt. The thought of that to me is very sad because this is a massively important body of water in this neighborhood. Continue reading to understand the pond. RESIDENT ANIMALS Tens of thousands of Mosquito fish Black and White Molly (rare to see them) Glass Shrimp Dragonflies Bull frogs, Tiger Frogs: Massive Orchestration of frog sounds all year round. Watch UFC style frog battles as they splash for territory. Painted Turtles - Females return to their nesting ground to lay eggs the same as Sea Turtles. The new fencing has unfortunately prevented their free travel but I will have wildlife exits installed to fix how I broke this invisible road nature built decades ago. Racoon, opossum, otter (was unbelievable but I recorded it), Black Orange Spotted turtles Painted Slider turtles VISITING ANIMALS Green Heron Blue/Grey? Heron Hawk Tiny Owls - Hunt nightly for frogs and you can hear their gently kooooh. They sound like a Mogwai (cute hairy gremlin) Wood Duck - These birds have a daily migration path only a mile east of here so they stop here frequently for a rest Geese - Random wildish and neighbor geese visit briefly Red Head water birds and their babies use the pond for safety All birds use it for bath White Heron? VEGITATION When I moved here, the pond had clearly been treated with chemicals. It took a while for plants such as cattails to return but the tubers were still alive and they regenerated. Chemicals dumped into the pond are going directly into your shower and kitchen sink. The pond maintains itself without chemicals... you only need to remove some seaweed sometimes..... same as cutting the grass. Any rake can pull a big chunk out easy enough and leave enough for the shrimp and baby fish. Seaweed is great in the garden and base of the fruit trees. Mowing up to the edge of the water is a mistake. The roots of these plants maintain a very steep edge and eliminating these roots could mean expanding your ponds edges. Instead, replace it... so far I have planted decorative Papyrus and Snake grass, native water morning glory (name?), milk weed vine, fruit trees, cypress. HOW IT IS USED On the back side of the pond is a wild life trail which leads the length of the canal, crosses the road and continues along the canals like a massive city grid. This pond is waterfront property on this trail and it can provide food. Wild life will ALWAYS return to this pond and everything around that... even the garden. Fishing birds return daily and seasonally to hunt frogs and fish. Racoon and Opossum use it to hunt and drink the water every night. Female turtles return here for a few days before returning to the South side of the house to lay eggs.