Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations FA - why is it so prevalent?

Thank you for your responses RAH and Snipe. I wonder if it is a legitimate proposition to think of limited FA as an indicator of pond health. To be sure, FA is ubiquitous and it grows everywhere to some degree.

Down here, we generally see a die off once the pond temperatures get high in the July and Early August time frame. It floats in only three ponds I frequent, so about half of them. The two managed by cities get no response at all, (which I like), but this last year the one managed by an HOA received a dye treatment after the float. Obviously, poorly timed and I can vouch that the dye has negatively impacted the condition of some of the most impressive BG in the metroplex. This year dye was applied in April and I am just sick about that.

Snipe, after the flood, what do you think happened? Perhaps certain nutrients or the FA itself were flushed out? Your observations intrigue me particularly that the WH was able to thrive after FA was diminished. So is FA a strong enough factor to adversely impact a plant community?

FA seems to fall into an "it depends" category where it is no problem at all in some ponds and an unbearable nuisance in others. This seems to be area where data from many ponds could be brought together and mined for insights into its control through planned diversity of the plant and an animal communities and perhaps other management practices.