October Surprise
My Shubunkin goldfish had two babies! I couldn't believe it when I saw them swimming in my water garden last week. At first I thought they were just some of the guppies I've added to the water garden to control the mosquito population. Then I noticed they have spots and realized they are in fact baby Shubunkins. I could only get a photo of one at a time, unfortunately (each baby is less than an inch long).
To further illustrate that my fish don't pose, see the photo below. That is a male guppy on the left, a Comet goldfish on the right and an adult Shubunkin hiding in the center.
And it's all happening in this relatively small world...
The squirrel wonders what on earth I'm doing hanging over his water-source...and why I'm not either filling his feeder or tossing some bread or fruit to him. Humans!
Meanwhile the flowers against my back fence are blooming a bit. Here is some milkweed...
...and a firecracker plant...
The butterflies like this red penta...
The lavender is doing well.
...and of course the hummingbirds' favorite remains the salvia...
I love my little succulent container garden.
So does this Texas Spiny Lizard.
I recently took another trip to The Natural Gardener. Here is what I bought...
The Natural Gardener is one of my favorite Nurseries. I hadn't been there in a long time so was surprised to see so much had changed. They have created a beautiful water garden.
There were so many plants blooming the day I visited. I'm not sure what this tall yellow daisy-like flower is, (some kind of sunflower?), but I like it.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find that they've added goats next door to the chickens at the nursery. These two seemed quite content -- and at least one seemed pregnant.
All in all it was an enjoyable day. It's nice to think about pleasant things like gardening and other happy thoughts again. Speaking of which, I hope you all have a fun-filled Halloween...
"Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears." - Edgar Allen Poe
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10 comments:
It's nice to see you posting again, Dawn! Congrats on the Shubunkin babies. I keep hoping my Fantails will produce offspring. Maybe next year!
What fun to find tiny fishes in your water garden. I also like to see the lizard romping in your garden.
I felt the same thrill when our ordinary goldfish had fry this spring. The population in the pond more than doubled. So far none of the fry are as decorative as their parents. Apparently they are devo.
Hi Dawn,
The fish must like their cozy quarters if they 're willing to multiply! I love all your orange flowers in Autumn - it's not the same as the bright leaves in the north, but very welcome to see.
Sorry you couldn't make the two Austin gardens yesterday.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
The baby fish will have been there quite awhile as they are very tiny when first hatch!
But obviously a very healthy water feature!
Hi Cindy, MCOK!
Good luck with your fantails. I have no idea why my Shubunkins decided to do The Wild Thing, but I'm glad they did. ;-)
Dear Lisa at Greenbow,
I like the lizard too. We don't have as many here as we did in Florida, but the lizards we do have are bigger!
Hello MSS!
Wow! Sounds like you had loads of baby goldfish! That's very cool. So you're not only The Flower Goddess, you're The Goldfish Goddess as well. :-)
Dear Annie,
I love the Autumn colors too, Annie. And yes, I was very sorry to have missed seeing all of you as well. Maybe we can meet up for lunch sometime soon.
Hi Libby
I'll bet you're right. I've put a heater in the water garden already so the fish won't die. They are toastie & happy so far & don't seem to know it's fall yet since they still beg for food with the same gusto as in the summer.
Happy Halloween!
Dawn
Dawn, Hi! I love your water feature...you have inspired me to attempt one next year. I have to think about how to keep them alive during our colder winter days! Gail
I love the word Shubunkin, sounds like something cuddely like a baby bunny or something! Congrats on your new babies:)
We have dozens of outside goldfish here in upstate NY. They do NOT need to be heated unless the water is going to freez - and freez hard. We have them in two very small "ponds" and they live through the winters in both. Glenn
wilson@stny.rr.com
Dear Gail,
Anything you attempt in your garden seems to come out beautifully. I imagine your water features will be just as lovely.
Thanks ConsciousGardener,
Shubunkin is a cute name. They are one of my favorite goldfish types. I especially like their spots.
Hi Glenn,
Glad to hear you don't need to heat your in-ground ponds in NY.
Since my water garden is in a pottery container above ground I must start heating it when the temperatures are consistantly below about 50; otherwise my tropical fish (guppies) would die. Also, if I did not heat the water once the temps are below freezing the pottery of the urn would crack along with ice accumulation.
Good luck with your ponds.
Happy Gardening,
Dawn
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