Who's the Thief?

[Gemma]

So yesterday after work I put one large Water Hyacinth in each plant pool of my two ponds.
..both carefully tucked in the stones, so that they would stay put....hours later, right before bed they were both still in place ... this morning the one in the new pond is completely gone! Who could've taken it?
The way it was placed it is very unlikely that it came loose on its own, it would've had to been lifted out of its pocket, but, I checked the skimmer just in case and there was no trace of it.
I know that koi eat water plants, but my koi have never had pond plants (other than algae) so my thinking is that they would've investigated it following it long enough for it to reach the skimmer, just like my older koi have always done with the clumps that occasionally broke off, in the other pond

I thought of Raccoons, but they usually leave evidences, and the fish usually show stress after a predator's visit, they didn't seem scared at all this morning

Any idea who could've taken it?

 

[mrsclem]

voting on the koi!

 

[Faebinder]

Vote for koi!

 

[poconojoe]

I've never had koi completely eat them, but you never know. They have definately devoured the roots. I cant think of any animal that would take them. This is a mystery to me.
If you want to monitor the activity at your pond, you should put a camera there. You don't have to invest in an elaborate system with wiring and power. You can get a trail camera. I have one at my pond. It uses 6 "C" batteries which last a real long time and a memory card. It records stills or videos with sound. The videos are amazing. They record when there's motion. I take the memory card out and plug it into my Mac to view or save the videos. I have the camera strapped to a tree. The strap comes with it.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

It is a mystery! I have had raccoons take them out of the pond & chew on them before. It's not unreasonable to think they might have run off with one completely. My koi also chew on the roots, but don't completely consume them... I'm going to second the 'game cam' suggestion.

 

[poconojoe]

I have some of my floating plants protected by those floating nets. I bought them on Amazon. Some people here have made their own.

 

[Gemma]

@mrsclem and @Faebinder How did the koi get the plant? I dropped the plant in a pocket of stones, there was no way the current could've taken it, something must've lifted it out of the pocket it was in, and my koi have no access to the plant pool.

@poconojoe I totally agree with you on the camera, I'm thinking this year Christmas present

@BKHpondcritters I've heard of Raccoons eating water Lily, I didn't know they go after other pond plants, if they do, I can see the possibility that one walked on the ledge and just took it

 

[j.w]

I think some animal took it out and drug it away. Whether they ate it or not is another story. Lots of young animals are testing and tasting now as they grow. If they like it they eat it and if they don't they just toss. Have you checked around all of your property and asked neighbors if they have seen a plant laying around? I like the camera idea!

 

[mrsclem]

Do deer have access to your pond area? Maybe rabbit or groundhog.

 

[Gemma]

I think some animal took it out and drug it away. Whether they ate it or not is another story. Lots of young animals are testing and tasting now as they grow. If they like it they eat it and if they don't they just toss. Have you checked around all of your property and asked neighbors if they have seen a plant laying around? I like the camera idea!

You gave me hope, I shall go look around after work, to see if I find it

 

[Gemma]

Do deer have access to your pond area? Maybe rabbit or groundhog.

The pond is fenced in but small animals can still get in
In this pic (from when we first built the pond), you can see the wall of the plant pool where the plant was, imagine a pocket on the other side. Yes a small animal could've walked on the wall and taken it...I wonder why just the Hyacinth

PS can't wait to finish this pond, it looks awful in picture!

 

[poconojoe]

Nice setup! You did a lot of really nice work. Looks great!
It will look even better when the plants fill in.

 

[Nanner]

Ducks trash mine all the time... but have never carried them off...maybe a duck got creative and carried it off.

 

[Gemma]

Nice setup! You did a lot of really nice work. Looks great!
It will look even better when the plants fill in.

Thank you!
I'm usually a very positive person,but when it comes to my ponds and garden, I seem to only see what still needs to get done.
We were supposed to put the capping stones on last Fall, but we haven't found one we really like, so we've decided to shop around some more

Ducks trash mine all the time... but have never carried them off...maybe a duck got creative and carried it off.

I've never seen a duck around my ponds, I'm not sure it could even get in

 

[Nanner]

Thank you!
I'm usually a very positive person,but when it comes to my ponds and garden, I seem to only see what still needs to get done.
We were supposed to put the capping stones on last Fall, but we haven't found one we really like, so we've decided to shop around some more


I've never seen a duck around my ponds, I'm not sure it could even get in

Count your blessings ...ducks are lovely fun to watch creatures at other peoples ponds... lol. They are filthy birds that do a number on small water features.

Hope you find the culprit... sometimes it's the little mysteries that drives us the most crazy.