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Just add water for wildlife

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We love nature... from every little bug on a blade of grass to birds, butterflies, otters and oaks!

Just add water for wildlife

13 May 2009 10:21 AM
  • Comments 9

It's almost a year since we dug a pond in our garden - with the wholehearted blessing of our conservation-friendly landlord.

What a year it's been. I only wish I'd done it earlier.

There was hard work initially, when we dug a hole measuring 3.5 m x 2.5 m, and 0.75 m deep (about 11' 6" by 8' 3" by 2' 6") into the claggy, clay soil. And I can't say I want to repeat the accidental experience of touching a slug that was hiding under a clod of earth... yuck!

But there was a quick and gratifying pay-off after less than a day, when the first pondskater appeared. And again, two weeks later, when two beautiful dragonflies - a broad-bodied chaser and a four-spotted chaser - turned up and started fighting. What was once boring lawn is now prime insect real estate!

Through the summer and into the autumn, our modest pool was visited by a variety of dragonflies and damselflies, a small frog and some newts. I didn't know anything about newts before we got the pond done. Now I'm... slightly more knowledgeable.

Newt in my backyard

Some of ours turned out to be not just your normal, smooth newts, but extra-special, frilly great crested newts - the ones that bring building developments to a screeching halt. They're protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act because they're vulnerable to their habitat being destroyed.

Undoubtedly, it's great to have something special and a bit rare in the pond, but the best thing is watching their behaviour. The male newts look a bit like a mini-dragon or maybe a stegosaurus. With tiny white speckles, a bright orange belly with black spots, a go-faster striped tail and a jaggedy crest, they look pretty smart.

They spend their time lurking in the bottom, mostly, coming nearer to the surface in the evenings to perform mating displays. A swish of the tail and a waft of pheromones are what it takes to impress a female newt, apparently.

I've learned that it's likely they came from less than a mile away, but it still amazes me that they managed to find the pond on their short legs. A bit of reading around on the web suggests that it's possible they could smell the water. Amazing!

The most fun you can have in a garden

I would go as far as to say that the pond project has been one of the most gratifying things I've done. So many people put loads of time, effort and money into decorating the insides of their houses. Why not put the effort into making your garden wildlife-friendly instead?

There are so many more benefits...

  • Being outdoors is good for the soul (and vitamin D)
  • The pond means there's now a bit less lawn to mow
  • Because it's a fish-free wildlife pond, I don't have to worry about water filters. Oxygenating weed does the trick
  • In warmer weather, I can sit by the pond in the mornings, eat my breakfast and watch what's going on (or the ripples and reflections of the clouds). It's the perfect start to the day
  • The garden is my wildlife photography studio
  • No need to worry about slugs or dandelions - they're all good bird food
  • Seeing wildlife in the garden beats any fancy flower or expensive shrub hands-down

Instead of thinking about the garden as a place where the lawn needs mowing and the veg patch needs digging, I feel more like it's my personal nature reserve, and I'm responsible for managing it. It's wonderful!

If you fancy your own backyard nature reserve, we've got tons of free advice in our Homes for Wildlife project.

What do you think?

Register and log in to leave a comment - I'd love to hear your stories

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Comments
  • 14 May 2009 8:42 AM
    I envy you your newts, Katie! Since we gave away the fish 2 years ago, our small pond has flourished, but no newts yet. There are loads of what look like leeches, and millions of fresh water shrimps. What will eat these, do you know?
  • 14 May 2009 10:29 AM

    Hi Taffy2. Good move with giving away the fish. Lots of people like them, but they aren't good for pond wildlife, unfortunately. It sounds like you have a good basis for more wildlife - shrimps and all the tiny things that swim around in there are what everything else in the pond eats (well, apart from the herbivores).

    Beetles and their larvae, water boatmen, backswimmers and lots of other creatures will eat shrimps and mosquito larvae. Not sure what eats leeches, though - I'm sure something must!

    I really recommend getting a pond dipping kit and having a closer look. Hours of fun for all ages, and for less than £20 as well!

  • 26 May 2009 6:02 PM
    We had our pond dug 4 years ago now (it looks about as big as yours, Katie), and, like you, marvelled at how quickly it became populated! We were amazed at the whirlygig beetles and pond skaters - how do they find us when they can't fly and there are no other ponds in the vicinity? Its evolution has been fascinating. That first spring, a pair of mallards arrived and stayed for a few days (I was glad thay didn't settle though, as we have a visiting fox and neighbouring cats). A pair came the following year, but not since as we populated the pond with British native species, from the local garden centre, but also bullrushes appeared - we assumed brought on the ducks' feet perhaps! Also, a dragonfly allowed us to spectate whilst she carefully probed for a good place, with her ovipositor, to lay her eggs. Now, it looks like it has always been there. This spring we spent several days sitting and being greatly entertained by a frog orgy & spawning fest, and now are enjoying watching fattening tadpoles, dragonfly nymphs and glimpses of smooth newts, along with the first flag irises and water mint coming into flower. Yesterday too, we saw the first dragonfly Chaser, and a couple of damselflies. I can't express how utterly wonderful it is to have such a glorious thing at the bottom of the garden - far more than we ever imagined - and I'd recommend it to everyone if you have a little space. Taffy2 - I wonder if the things you think might be leeches are in fact dragonfly nymphs? They're aggressive creatures and are quite happy to go for a finger!
  • 26 May 2009 8:13 PM

    Hello Taffy2,

                      I thought I had leeches in my pond/water feature, but after Googling UK pond life, I seem to think that they are flat worms, they just seem to glide across a large rock in the water at certain times of the day.Regards Paul.

    Katie, I wish I had room for a bigger pond like yours but I have to make do with what I've got which is brick edged about a metre square and about 12" deep, I do get frogs and lots of bees coming for a drink so it's not too bad. Regards Paul.

  • 27 May 2009 7:09 AM

    Hi Katie, loved the article - I have had a raised pond in my garden for quite a few years - it still has fish in it but the heron seems to be taking an interest in that side of things!!!  As it is raised I can not attract frogs and newts but the margins are exceptionaly beautiful at this time of year with the yellow irises attracting the bees/insects and the wildflower area around it is becoming home to the butterflies :o)

    One small problem though - I have found a young starling floating this morning.  I have tried to discourage them away with their own bird bath/waterer but they seem to like the pond better - any ideas?

  • 27 May 2009 9:47 AM

    Hello. Thanks for leaving your comments - it's good to hear from you all! HelenK's dead right when she says how utterly wonderful it is to have a pond... and Paul's right too in that you don't need a big lake. Even a half-barrel or an old sink could do the job.

    A friend of mine made a mini-pond from one of those plastic tub things you can get from garden centres. He just dug a hole, put the tub in and added a few bricks (so things could climb out), some pond plants and water.

    Re: birds that go swimming, I think it'd be hard to prevent entirely. But you might be able to help by making sure the sides of the pond are sloping, or by putting in some stones or twigs so that there are things to climb out on.

    Thanks

    Katie

  • 27 May 2009 11:14 AM
    Katie re. your sentiments on garden ponds - I couldn't agree more; and yes, no pond is too small! We have a tiny pond in the corner of our tiny garden. It's probably the smallest pre-formed pond you can buy (around 2.5 x 1.5 ft and 18" at deepest point) but that doesn't seem to bother the visiting wildlife. Aside from the bugs and beetles, there at least 2 resident newts that we know of, and up until last year, we've always had a resident frog. We have 5 small goldfish who live happily on a mixed diet of pond bugs and fishfood. We put these in a tank indoors over the winter months as the pond is so small it tends to freeze over in our hard Scottish winter, despite leaving a ball on the surface to stop this happening. There was one casualty a couple of year's ago - we found him/her stuck to the underside of the ice - don't want to repeat that! A water lily flowers faithfully every year. Sparrows sometimes land on the lilypads to drink; and many other garden birds come to drink from the shallow edge from time to time. Last year, we planted a small patch of wildflower turf (about 3.5 x 1.5 ft) behind the pond. It's just starting to flower now and already attracting the first of the bees. This year's addition has been a small (again, the smallest we could find!) solar powered filter/fountain. There is a rustic swing seat next to the pond and many a pleasant Sunday afternoon has been spent sitting in the sun, listening to the water play, and watching the fish idling under the surface. No pond is too small.
  • 28 May 2009 11:34 AM
    I have a tiny (2ft X 2ft) water feature with a small fountain. Every time there is a puff of wind, water from the fountain blows onto the surrounding earth eventually emptying the pond! I have now given up and have just embarked on digging a larger pond - only 5ft X 3ft, but having read all these comments I am excited about what the year will bring...
  • 28 May 2009 2:21 PM

    Hi NorfolkGal. If you get your pond done in the next couple of months you'll be getting dragonflies this year and probably a load of other insects as well! You're quite right to be excited...

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