The Upper and Lower Ponds

I put in the new pump today and the water is moving again. To celebrate, the upper pond koi got to bathe right in the waterfall while the lower pond guys could only look on from a distance. Most of the koi stay put, but a few of them have learned to move back and forth between ponds, navigating the treacherous and narrow waterway where the two ponds meet.

You might ask, why would these fish, after getting a taste of the upper pond--the big pond, ever visit the lower pond again? Well, like many of your friends from your home town, these lower-pond koi are happy in a small place where the water runs slower and deeper. Some feel safer in the lower pond, I'll bet. My favorite is a calico red and white, probably the biggest fish of all, and the queen of lower pond. Everyone follows the calico as she glides slowly along, though there's not far to go. The upper pond guys have the waterfall and the big pool above, another big pond and they have a covered passageway to travel between the two.

But the frogs favor the lower pond, and at night the place jumps like a night club in a dry county in Arkansas on payday (if you will forgive me for saying so). These jumpy guys have no morals at all--squawking all night with an amazing racket, fornicating (I'm just guessing), spewing their eggs all over the lily pads and sleeping all day.

The koi sniff around on the tops of the pads, so these eggs will be gone soon (another advantage of the lower pond), and I imagine the frogs could care less. They'll just spew out some more.

Bugs and other tasty stuff, everything really, flows from the upper pond to the lower pond, like a 24-hour buffet. The lower pond also puts on a show of blossoms from the lily pads.

Did I mention, though, that the upper pond has lotus blossoms and a bridge to hide under? And a cool waterfall?