Howdy Knobber, your pond looks great! Welcome to forum!.

Originally Posted by Bill
Yes - Chara is the plant. Very often the early invader of ponds.

Bill, I've tried searching the answer to this question but have yet to find one. The question revolves around why some ponds tend to lose their chara. I've witnessed chara as the first invader first hand in multiple ponds around here. Its understandable as a first invader due to the fact that it does well in waters with low nitrogen levels. It's a symbiont with nitrogen fixing algae that grow as periphyton on it. This gives it an advantage over other submerged vegetation when nutrients are low in a pond's early life. I guess my question is why does chara lose the advantage? Around here it is replaced with Southern Naiad which I find less desirable. So what causes this? Shading, water chemistry, something else?

It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so - Will Rogers