The koi pond and the fountain that crowns it are important features of The Gardens at Turtle Point. The fish and associated (but unimported) wildlife that live in the pond are subtle reminders that plants aren't the only living things gracing the garden.

Winter usually finds koi lolling about the bottom of the pond in a state of cold-induced torpor. Eating hardly at all until the water warms up, they spend the season conserving as much energy as possible, living off the fat they accumulated during the summer.

Winter's been easy on them this year. Until the last couple of days the weather has been mild, with no ice on the pond. The fountain runs year-round to keep water open and oxygenated through the winter. At four feet deep, the water is safe for over-wintering fish.

This morning I walked past and was stunned to see one of our koi trapped in the ice forming around the edges of the pond. Upon closer inspection, it's fins were moving! I quickly grabbed the nearest tool and began carefully chopping through the ice around the fish. (Sorry...no pictures. My priority was to save the fish).

There was a skin of ice on the surface, an inch or so of water, and a thicker (3/4-1") shelf of ice underneath. The fish had gotten trapped in the shallow water layer between the two ice shelves. It floated near the surface of the hole broken through the ice and slowly started moving around. I pushed it under the thicker ice shelf to keep it from getting caught again. Unsteadily and with a list to one side (I suppose it will take some time to regain equilibrium) it moved toward the other fish.

Time will tell if it survives...and if it does so with no permanent damage, but hopes are high. It's a beauty, imported from Japan, and I'd hate to lose it.  

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Copyright  2006- 2007 by Carlo A. Balistrieri.
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