Turtles, Ducks, and Koi

It's that time of year again. Summer is right around the corner and our waterlilies and lotus are gearing up for another show-stopping season. Our hardy waterlilies are already beginning to bloom in the display ponds, with 'Red Queen', 'John Wedgwood', and 'Niki' leading the pack. Karen Webbink took this photo of 'Red Queen' while we were in the ponds cleaning and fertilizing today. There's only one problem - actually, make that three problems... turtles, ducks, and koi. Yes, our wild neighbors are once again wreaking havoc in the ponds this year. Today alone, we found about a dozen waterlily leaves floating freely on the water's surface after being snipped off one by one by a large red-eared slider. Our floating turtle trap is in place, but so far the newly leafed out lilies are proving far more tempting than the trap's two sunning decks. Joining the turtles were two muskovy ducks and two mallards. So far our feathered friends have not been too destructive, but from past experience we know it is only a matter of time. Rounding out the group are the few large koi in our ponds. These guys love to dig around in freshly planted waterlily pots, uprooting any waterlily rhizomes that happen to be in their way. To combat this, we have been placing large flat stones on the surface of the soil in each pot. It appears to be working so far! If anyone out there has other tips on how to deal with any of these troublemakers, please let me know!