The Pond

 

This is without doubt the most beautiful part of the garden. The pond serves as a subtle nucleus to the garden. You can see it when people enter. They are inevitably drawn to this small and humble body of water, and often can be seen taking pause, and contemplating the surprising beauty of this nook.

This is the part of the garden that calls for passive enjoyment. We have set up benches in this area, and many a relationship has taken root in the view of this water. Others like to sit on the bridge, where one can get a closer view of what is going on below. During the summer, water lilies are in bloom, and the cardinal flowers are showing off their stuff.

Thanks to a grant from the Hudson River Foundation, the Environmental Club was able to fund the construction of this pond. With money earmarked for the restoration of wetlands, the club pledged to play it's part in improving the quality of the Hudson River. First, we planted native plants in our wetlands, and on the slopes surrounding our proposed pond. As rainwater collects on our school's parking lots and on Tibbett Avenue, it would flow into our wetlands, where the flow of the water would be slowed down by all the vegetation and hold it in place. The water then would, at a slower pace, flow into our pond, where it would sit for an even longer period of time. The whole idea here was to slow the flow of the water that would normally flow quickly into the Harlem River (and then into the Hudson), and in turn catch and dilute many of the pollutants found on our parking lots like oil and other toxins.

At first glance, one might think the water in our pond is a noxious stew. But a closer look reveals a body of water full of healthy life. The first year we built the pond, we introduced seven comets, which are pretty much the same as gold fish. They have survived well through the years, and this is in a pond that has no pump or filtration. We also introduced frogs to this aquatic ecosystem, and they have thrived as well. A few frogs appear every spring, and they seem quite conent resting among the lily pads, or on the capstones along the fringes of the water.

fluff from our cottonwood trees blankets our pond in June

an oakleaf hydrangea frames our pond

horsetail fringes our pond

There is much to be said about this portion of our garden, and there is more information in other parts of our website. We suggest you explore some of the links below.

 

 

See how our pond was constructed

View Omer Ilya's web page on the pond

View Mahammood Elahi's web page on the pond

 

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