On Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:14:49 EST, Phyllis and Jim
wrote:


Our koi love the duckweed. Freezing weather does not seem to bother
the duckweed at all!

Unfortunately, this pond has a spring in it and is the headwater for a
little tributary for the Suwannee River (or so the topo maps say) so
there are no koi, or any other type of "foreign" fish. I'm also
incredibly reluctant to use any type of chemical. I know alligators
love to eat turtles. There was no (or not much) duckweed before I was
visited by the alligator, but there sure was after. I used to see
turtles before the alligator came, but I don't anymore, and, of
course, the pond is now covered with duckweed. What makes this a bit
more of a mystery to me is that the pond in front used to have a lot
of duckweed, but I never saw any turtles. Now it has much less
duckweed and I see some turtles, something I didn't notice before. So,
do turtles eat duckweed or do they just prefer clearer water? I've
tried to find the answer with Google, but haven't hit on the right
search terms yet. Others that I have asked just don't seem to know.