Battle of the Bullrushes

Yesterday I decided to fight back against the advancing army of bullrushes in the pond. They have been steadily taking over the shallow end since the spring and making our shortage of water in the pond even worse, in my opinion. I wanted to give the lily pads and other plants a better chance to thrive, and with the water so low, it was the most opportune time to take action. I donned my Wetskins (left over from my dingy sailing days), found a plank to stand on so I wouldn’t sink irretrievably into the mud bottom, and started yanking the six-foot plants out by their heavy roots. It was quite pleasant work where the pond edge has a few mint plants — and that should tell you something about the invasiveness of the bullrushes, even the mint can’t compete without help! A couple of hours later, the battle was over (but not the war). There was one defiant young sprout waving at me from the middle, but the rest were pretty much compost. There are some healthy specimens still bordering the pond, too, but the main area is clear for now.
Today Bob called the water truck and it arrived early this afternoon to bring the level up by 3300 gallons, infused slowly so as not to stress the fish. When it was done, they were practically dancing with excitement, even at the shallow end. I saw goldfish with markings I had never seen until now. The frogs seem a bit resentful, I think, as they liked to hide in the bullrushes, but perhaps they’ll come around when the lily pads start multiplying.