Pond

The farm pond was not visible from the road but the surrounding vegetation gave it away. It shone in purple and gold. Purple loostrife and yellow goldenrod grew in photogenic profusion all around, and the bursting sausage heads of cats-tails confirmed the presence of water.

I drove past it several times on my way to some errand or other and made a mental note to pull over and have a closer look when I got the chance. The opportunity eventually came on the last day of our holiday in New England, so in sweltering heat, I was set free for an hour with my camera. I almost went to the cool, shaded, cemetery to search for bluebirds instead, but decided to go for the richer wildlife habitat of the pond just for the colour.

Roseate skimmer

The brown water was overlooked by a rather poor, grey farm bungalow which adjoined a crooked wooden barn. No fields were visible, just the buildings, the pond and the endless woods. When I produced a tripod and camera I was very aware of being watched. Perhaps the owners thought I was a surveyor for some big federal road project. However, they didn't come over to talk to me and I didn't feel confident to approach them, so we each kept an eye on each other.

My unease soon vanished in a rush of photographic enthusiasm.  The sound of insects was almost deafening and every step forward disturbed a host of grasshoppers, crickets and bugs. Bullfrogs sounded like alligators and mosquitos whined annoyingly around my ears.

The profusion of marsh flowers attracted big, flamboyant butterflies such as monarchs, fritillaries and painted ladies and the grasses attracted smaller browns, coppers, grass skippers and Eastern tailed blues, similar species to those at home home, but in much greater numbers. Orange "touch-me-not" balsams attracted ruby-throated hummingbirds. A pair of turkey vultures circled high in the blue above me and a kingbird called frequently from the edge of the woods.

Common white-tail

It was a place to keep any amateur naturalist amused for days, but it was the dragonflies that astonished me most. Many looked just like ours in England; there were darters, skimmers, chasers and emperors, but two species displayed far more extravagant wing patterns than any dragonfly in the UK and both were aggressive defenders of their turf; which is probably why they are so showy.

A large granite boulder sat in a corner of the pond, shining white like a beacon in the sunlight, it had gathered all the heat of the afternoon. I imagined it would be hot to touch despite being half submerged in the soupy water. A male common white-tail was defending that rock for all he was worth, chasing off insects that approached within sight. The broad black bands of his wings contrasted strongly with the whiteness of the rock, advertising his presence to any females passing by.

Twelve spotted skipper

Even more extravagantly marked; a twelve spotted skimmer used a tall plant as his guard-post and display stand. Each of his four wings showed three large black spots and two white ones, giving the appearance of zebra stripes from a distance.

I spent a long time just watching dragonflies, but the mosquitos became more instant as the afternoon wore on and they were even sucking blood through my sweat-stained shirt. A last circuit of the pond revealed that the bigger butterflies preferred the shade at the edge of the woods while the dragonflies liked the open places, no matter how hot it was.

New Hampshire has thousands of lakes and there must be hundreds of farm ponds in the county around Derry. Larger ponds hold beavers, herons, fish and turtles but my little gem of a pond was obviously a very rich place for wildlife of the smaller sort.

For more pictures, click here.