A Compendium of Facts, Fancy, Tidbits, Tips. Daryl Stout & Tom Coyle 3630 White Oak Rd SE, Cedar Rapids Tel:

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1 Eastern iowa pond society, inc Visit us at Officers President Jeff Garner 319/ ahoo.com Vice President Tom Coyle ahoo.com Secretary Kathi Albrecht 319/ Treasurer Jackie Allsup Beneath The Surface A Compendium of Facts, Fancy, Tidbits, Tips June, Thursday, June 9th 6: 30 pm Meeting to follow Daryl Stout & Tom Coyle 3630 White Oak Rd SE, Cedar Rapids Tel: Hosts will provide Hot Dogs & Buns, chips and drink. Please bring a dish to share. Daryl Tom Bring your chairs RSVP distout3630@gmail.com or call Saturday June 25, 2011 Sheryl & Doug Knutson 2350 Indian Hill Rd Cedar Rapids IA Tel: Pre Pond Tour cedarserviceja@aol.com 5:00 pm Volunteers Editor M onica M orley 319/ Host serving Aunt Betty s Taco s & drink, bring a desert to share if you wish. Park on Indian Hill Rd mespringcove@aol.com SAVE THE DATES Co-Editor M aria Hamilton Webmaster Josh Spece josh@inthecountrygardenand gifts.com June 1, 2011 WMT :0010:00-10:35 am What s H appening Show Larry Thompson and Jeff Garner will talk about the Water Gardening Event June 4, 2011 Water Gardening Event July 10, 2011 EIPS Pond Tour

2 Meeting Minutes May 12, 2011 Page 2 Preceding the business portion of the meeting Jackie Allsup introduced our speaker, Michelle Pritchard of Liquid Landscape Designers and The Pond Store, Johnston, Iowa. Michelle presented an interesting and informative program on Finding A Pond Leak followed by a question and answer segment. Michelle encouraged members to give her a call. She said she would be happy to walk the caller through the steps when searching for a pond leak. Following Michelle s presentation, President Jeff Garner called the Thursday, May 21, 2011 meeting to order at 7:25 P.M. in the home of Kerry Shaner and Jeff Garner. Jeff thanked Kerry for all the work he did to prepare for the meeting including the installation of a new miniature waterfall in their second pond. Jeff thanked Michelle and welcomed members to the meeting. Thirty-two members were in attendance. Jeff also introduced and welcomed new member, Lori Stange. Our hosts treated members to a wonderful dessert bar. Old Business Jeff reminded members of the upcoming June 4 th Water Gardening Event to be held at the Kirkwood Outreach and Training Services Center (KTOS) at 3375 Armar Drive in Marion. This event will feature three speakers. E.I.P.S. member, Josh Spece of In the Country Garden and Gifts, Independence, Iowa will speak about Hosta Myths and What s New For E.I.P.S. member, Jamie Byers, of Midwest Waterscapes, Boone, Iowa will present two programs, The Dirty Little Secret of Ponding and 30 Causes of Pea Green Soup in a Water Garden The keynote speaker will be MaryEllen Malinowsky of St. Charles, Illinois. She will present two programs, Japanese Garden Design and Zen Living and The Koi Whisperer - Koi Sanctuary. Jeff asked members to volunteer to deliver posters to designated area businesses. Kathi Albrecht provided additional posters for members to take and to post at any other locations, such as their local grocery stores, gas stations, banks, etc. Jackie Allsup asked for a show of hands of members planning to attend the June 4 th Event. She encouraged all members to attend. Jeff circulated a volunteer sign-up sheet for this event. Jeff reported that volunteers are needed to serve as pond-sitters for the July 10 th E.I.P.S. Pond Tour and he passed around a sign-up sheet. Jeff reminded members to donate plants to the annual Pond Tour Plants. Contact Jim and Rose Milden or Stephanie Geers regarding your plant donations. Thanks to the efforts of Ed and Connie Railsback, the printing of the event flyers (maps/directions) for this year s pond tour will be generously underwritten by King s, Prairie Creek Nursery and Kloubec s. Jeff thanked Ed and Connie Railsback and Paul and Gerri Dickerson for volunteering to man the club s booth at the Usher s Ferry Extreme Garden Makeover Event on Saturday, May 14. New Business Tom Coyle received an from an area resident with a 4,000 gallon pond who is having plumbing problems and needs assistance. Jeff announced plans for a July 10 th post-pond tour party for tour volunteers and hosts to be held at his and Kerry s home following the pond tour at 6:00 P.M. Gary Hunerdosse volunteered to serve as the evening s grillmaster. Reminder: 8 x10 photos of your pond are needed for a display at the June 4 th Water Gardening Event. Please submit these to Monica Morley With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:42 P.M. Respectfully Submitted, Kathi Albrecht, Secretary

3 Meeting Minutes May 21, 2011 Page 3 President Jeff Garner called the meeting to order at 4:13 P.M. at the home of Greg and Martha Bickal. Jeff thanked Greg Bickal for hosting the meeting at his home. Jeff then thanked the nineteen members that were in attendance for coming to the meeting. Jeff mentioned that Donovan Burke had a surgery on his back and was doing well. He thought it would be nice for members to send him an him to wish him well. After the meeting Greg Bickal talked about his Koi Farm and answered questions from members. He also mentioned that Eastern Iowa Pond Members receive a 20% discount from him when they mention that they are members. A picture was taken from his windmill and will be posted on his Facebook page. A pot luck was held after the meeting and members were able to purchase Koi and food from Bickal s Koi Farm. Treasures Report President Jeff Garner read the full 2011 Treasurer s report from April 21, 2011 to May 17, 2011 submitted by Treasurer Jackie Allsup. April 20 Checking Balance of $ and Savings Balance $ May 17 Checking Balance of $ and Savings Balance $ Committee Reports Educational Event Committee Larry Thompson, June 4th Water Gardening Event Chairperson reported that all action items have been completed for the upcoming event. He reported that Monica and Gill Morley, Larry and Erma Thompson, Jeff Garner, Kerry Shaner, Tom Coyle, Daryl Stout, Maria Hamilton, Louann Jayne, Jackie Allsup and Rhett Taylor have all volunteered to help at the event. Also, He said he believed the Ad for the event will be in the Gazette next week and on June 1 st Larry and Jeff will speak on WMT Radio about the event and the Pond Tour. Larry mentioned that the big box stores have been less receptive to post flyers than the small local businesses and that we should support our local businesses Annual Pond Tour Chairperson Tom Coyle reported that the 2011 Pond Tour is all going well as planned. He sent around the sign-up sheet and asked once again for sitters for ponds in the Cedar Rapids area. Please contact him if you are willing to volunteer that day. ( 319) President Jeff Garner mentioned that The Pre Pond Tour would be held on June 25 th with it starting and ending at Doug and Sheryl Kuntson. This will be the night that sitter and members hosting their ponds should attend so they can pick up the packets and signs for the pond show. He also mentioned that after the Pond Tour on July 10 th, Jeff Garner and Kerry Shaner will have brats and hotdogs and a pot luck at their home. This will be for people to drop back off the packets and signs after the show. This will start around 6 to 6:30 pm. Old Business Gerri Dickerson and Connie Railsback gave an update on the booth at the Extreme Garden Makeover event at Usher s Ferry held on Saturday, May 14th. They said the attendance was small as few as maybe 13 people because of the cold and rain that day. All went well, and they passed out the information for the upcoming Pond show and Water Garden event. Jeff thanked the Dickerson s and the Railsback s for volunteering to sit at the booth. President Jeff Garner and members Kerry Shaner and Larry and Erma Thompson talked about the chartered bus trip to Koi Acres Open House in Skandia, MN on the weekend of the 14 th. They said that was also cold that day. They thought it was a very fun trip and the seminar was very informative and interesting. They also talked about the 2010 Pond of the Year in downtown Minneapolis. New Business No new business brought up. The Meeting Closed at 4:56 P.M. Respectfully Submitted, Tom Coyle, Vice President

4 The Pond Guy Page 4 I think I spotted some eggs in my pond, do I need to do anything with them? Kathie- Walnut, CA If you have koi fish in your pond, there s a distinct possibility you may be right. If you don t, we may have a mystery on our hands. For the purposes of identification, koi eggs are about the size of small beads or small pinheads. Their color can range from milky white to greenish brown, and you ll often be able to see black dots which are developing koi eyes inside them. Fortunately, by the time you ve identified the eggs, Mother Nature is already on the job. But, as a good steward to the future koi of America, you might consider adding some Aquatic Plants to the pond to provide good hiding spots for the fry. With everything from floating plants to pond flowers to submerged oxygenating plants, we have plenty of choices to keep your kiddie koi safe from predators until they re ready to make it on their own. For an added measure of protection, consider our Koi Shelters, which provide safe havens for koi of all sizes. Koi eggs generally hatch within a week. So, within a few days from your first sighting, you ll be graced with an abundance of koi fry. When they re first hatched, koi fry can t swim so they attach themselves to the sides of the pond to grow. Within three or four days, your koi fry will begin to swim. While it might be tempting to give your fry a welcome feast, there s no need. During the first stages of their development, your koi will find sufficient natural food in the pond. By the time they re approximately three to four weeks old, the koi fry should be between ¼ and ½ long and they ll still be capable of finding sufficient natural food in the pond. After two to three months, your fry will have reached between 2 and 3 in length. They ll continue to grow until they re between fifteen and twenty years old so they re just getting started. And with an average lifespan of approximately fifty years, you ll have plenty of time to appreciate your koi, and the generations of offspring they re sure to produce. LOVE YOUR POND KOI TIP: To determine the base color of a koi, the belly of the koi or the inside of the mouth can be used as an indicator.

5 The Pond Guy Why do fish swim in schools? Chris Akron, OH Page 5 Most people are well aware that fish most of them, anyhow swim in tightly-knit groups known as schools. But when pressed for a rationale, few people know exactly why fish are so intent on sticking together. As it turns out, school is just as smart for fish as it is for people but for some very different reasons. So, in no particular order, here they are. There s safety in numbers. When pond and lake predators look for a meal, they look for easy targets. And while a school of fish might seem like a logical choice, it s actually easier to identify a single target and track it down. Schools of fish, on the other hand, present multiple targets. And when a predator goes in for a snack, the school scatters, making it difficult to keep track of a single individual long enough to catch it. But when survival s at stake, group behavior can always use a helping hand. That s why we recommend Porcupine Fish Attractor Spheres. When placed in your pond, fish will enjoy improved spawning habitat, and young fish will have a great place to hide when predators are on the hunt. Using our Fish Attractor Spheres, you ll see improved fish survival rates, healthier stocks, and, if you re so inclined, better fishing. The buddy system makes life easier. When a fish goes solo, he faces currents and resistance all alone. And when you have to fight resistance on your own, you have to work hard just to get where you re going. In schools, however, a lazy fish can draft off the fish around him, significantly reducing resistance. By reducing the energy they need to expend, they can expend even less energy looking for food. For a good paradigm, think of the Tour de France. During each stage of the race, a few aggressive riders typically break from the tightly-packed peloton. Those lead riders are often overtaken late in the race by riders who stuck with the peloton for the majority of the race to enjoy the benefit of riding behind and among other riders whose bodies reduced wind resistance and made the ride less fatiguing. The breakaway riders, on the other hand, are forced to work harder, making it tougher to maintain the lead. Migratory birds often employ the same tactic, flying in v-formations to reduce drag and conserve energy. While schooling helps to preserve energy, it s still important that your fish have the proper food to stay healthy, active, and capable of successful reproduction. We strongly recommend a scientifically-balanced food like Pond Logic Game Fish Grower Fish Food. Designed to promote optimal growth of game fish like bass, bluegill, trout and perch, the large pellets are high in protein, which helps to promote a strong, healthy fish population for more satisfying game fishing. Having walked our way through fish that do school, it s worthwhile to note that some simply don t. In most cases, those fish have evolved with a different set of survival techniques from hiding to aggression that works just fine for them. LOVEYOURPOND Water Gardening Tip: Try something different! Sweet Potato Vine! Usually sold as a landscape annual, this plant loves to have its feet wet and grows like crazy. It is a great addition to a water garden scape.

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7 Shubunkins are a multicolored variety of the pond Comet. Some folks call Shubunkins, Calico Comets. Page 7 Here is a beautiful Shubunkin Calico Comet Recommended Diet Floating food labeled for Goldfish not Tropical Fish. Several other brands of Goldfish food are available in most stores that sell pet fish. Floating pellets are very good for larger pond fish and are also available in most stores that sell fish for ponds. We have read advice elsewhere that all Goldfish should be fed sinking food, because when they take food off the surface, they will swallow air bubbles that will cause problems. This is contrary to our experience. I just watched my Goldfish eat off the surface. After most mouthfuls of food, he burped a bubble or two of air out through his gill. The ancestors of this fish have been eating food off the surface of the water for a very long time. Of course they also ate off the bottom and at all levels of the water between the top and bottom too. So don't worry about your Goldfish swallowing air while eating. Feeding food that floats is a good practice. If your fish don't eat all of the food in 10 minutes, get a net and remove the uneaten food. I also feed my Goldfish a few live Black Worms. I feed each Goldfish 2 or 3 worms every other day. Compatibility Best kept with other Pond Comets, Shubunkins, Koi, and Butterfly Koi, but not with Fantails or Orandas, which swim slower, are less aggressive, and are not compatible with Pond Comets and Koi. Size and Lifespan Pond Comets will grow to 12" and bigger. They have a live span of over 20 years, and some have lived to be over 70 years old. What are some popular names for goldfish: Goldie, Bubble s Blackie, Skipper. Goldfish are enjoyable to watch and coming up with names for each one of them can also be a lot of fun.

8 P age Tentative Meeting Schedule July 10th Pond Tour July 23rd Saturday August 11th Thursday August 27th Saturday September 8th Thursday Ed & Connie Railsback September 24th Saturday Pat & Wayne Beuter October 22nd Saturday Jackie & Harry Allsup LouAnn & Larry Jayne Linda & Donovan Burke Open If interested in hosting one of the open dates mespringcove@aol.com If you wish to cancel a meeting you signed to host mespringcove@aol.com You must be a current Member to host a meeting Bickal Koi Farm is giving EIPS current members a 20% discount on your purchase of Koi. Shop early to get that special Koi you have been wanting. June Birthdays Rhett Taylor Erma Thompson 24th (319) We are located just 5 minutes north of Cedar Rapids Iowa right off of Interstate 380 in Toddville, Iowa. E.I.P.S. wishes a speedy recovery to Donovan Burke. Greg Bickal 4th Hope to see you soon Donovan.

9 Page 9 Presented by ISU Extension Linn County Master Gardeners Explore 4 diverse Linn County Master Gardener gardens that will inspire you with ideas you can apply to your own garden or landscape or simply provide you the opportunity to tour beautiful private gardens. Gardens will include ornamental grasses, conifers, vegetables, perennials, containers, rain gardens & more. Master Gardeners will be at all of the gardens to answer your horticulture-related questions. Saturday, June 11, :00am-4:00pm Admission: $5/adult or $10/family START at any of the 4 gardens: Becki Lynch Garden 68 36th. Ave. SW Cedar Rapids This 3 acre Wildlife Habitat in Southwest Cedar Rapids includes: 1/4 acre of woodland beds, a 1/4 acre conifer bed and tall grass area; two ponds and a 65 foot stream; a Memorial garden; a Fairy Garden, and a patio herb container garden. In other words, there's something for everyone! Shelby Foley Garden nd St. NE Cedar Rapids A sunny front garden featuring a show off area and a shady, private, park-like rear garden are some of the highlights as well as an eclectic collection of garden art. Poppies are a main attraction now as well as varied groupings of allium. Enjoy!! Thea Cole Garden st St. W Mt. Vernon Stroll the paths of the five acre Cole garden in Mount Vernon. You will revel in the shade garden that features over 400 hosta varieties with accompanying unusual perennials. Your walking tour will lead you to the viburnum path, the alphabet path, and past gardens of sun-loving perennials, herbs, and vegetables. For ornamental grass enthusiasts, an earth pond is bordered by mature grasses. Through the years a large variety of trees have been planted. During the last five years, a large collection of garden conifers have been added. Benches and chairs scattered throughout the garden will allow you to pause and relax. Harrison s Garden 4215 Red Oak Dr SE Cedar Rapids The Harrisons moved here ten years ago bringing many of their plants with them. They are located on a hillside which makes for interesting sites and tired knees. 40 ton of rock was added to the landscape for interest. Dick has an extensive collection of hostas and ornamental grasses. Many mature oak trees make shade gardening a necessity with many wild flowers and companion plants for their hostas. Kay laid quick claim to the spots of sun for her perennials and plants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. And after a few years of battling the deer, they are replanting with plants deer usually do not eat. (This hillside garden might be a challenge for some visitors.)

10 Eastern Iowa Pond Society Inc. PO Box N 3rd St Quasqueton, IA Eastern Iowa Visions Our Mission Statement We are committed to providing a social atmosphere for members dedicated to sharing and learning the pleasure of w ater gardening. We are a non-profit organization. Membership of this association shall be open to any individual w ithout regard to race, creed, national origin or Sex, w ho shall render membership dues as specified in the governing documents. History The Eastern Iow a Pond Society w as established by Sharon Weiss in 1996 to encourage and promote w ater gardening and ponds. Meetings Meetings are held at different members homes the second Thursday at 7:00PM and the fourth Saturday in April, May. June. July, August and September. During Feb., March, October and Nov. meetings are held once a month on a Saturday. No meetings are held in Dec & Jan. Yearly Planning A plan-the-year meeting is held on a February afternoon at a central location to hammer out strategies on how the club w ill conduct business and to plan activities for the upcoming year. Activities A yearly Pond Tour event involves selected members opening their ponds to the public. Speakers, demonstrations, field trips, plant and fish sw ap, pot luck, and club projects are all activities that happen during the year. Dues Dues w ill be $25.00 per family, payable November of previous year and delinquent April 1st of each year. These dues entitle a member to participation in all activities and receive a monthly new sletter.