Pond building is a difficult but rewarding task that has found a place in the hearts of many home gardeners. There is a unique joy that can only be found when creating and cultivating a balanced ecosystem of plants and aquatic life in the comfort of your own backyard.

Most water gardeners have an average home pond with plants, a few fish and a proper filtration system. It’s rare to find a pond builder who wants nothing more than a simple, easily maintained pond. In fact, without the fish, most ponds would just be a fancy swimming pool.

And then there are those rare few who prefer to follow nature’s template by creating their own Wildlife Pond.

The Life of a Wildlife Pond

Unlike a clinical pond, wildlife ponds are filled with naturally rich pond water. Some pond owners would call this dirty water, but actually it’s filled with rich nutrients. Just like natural ponds, a wildlife pond is a self-sustaining ecosystem that matures into a lively backyard bog.

A successful Wildlife Pond plays host to a surprisingly large array of life. And not just plants and fish, but also insects, lizards, frogs and birds. Better yet, they are all within your control. As long as you pay attention to the details you’ll have a pond full of free living, yet carefully controlled “pets”.

But how do you start your wildlife pond? The basics are important of course. Build the pond with sloping banks. Line it with natural rocks. Make sure that it receives ample sunlight and shade. All these contribute to the pond’s effectiveness, but it’s still missing one element; the water.

So what do you do? Go out and find a naturally occurring pond. Get some of the water and put it into your own home pond. Using that rich natural pond water is the key to making a successful wildlife pond.

Phases of Pond Life

After you’ve built your wildlife pond, its population will start to grow. It’ll start small of course, with dragonflies and other insects. Not exactly the most welcome addition to your backyard, but they’re a necessary part of the wildlife pond.

Mosquitoes? Insects? Pests? Won’t these be bad for me home?

Never fear! Mixing a couple of snails into the mix takes care of some of the mosquitoes that will inevitably spawn in your pond. It’s not enough to really limit the pest population, but that’s where the next part comes in.

By the time you start to be pestered by mosquitoes and flies, you’ll start seeing a new type of life; amphibians. Newts, frogs and toads will start moving in, attracted by the buffet of bugs and pug eggs in your pond. They are nature’s pest control team, keeping the insect population to a tolerable minimum. Birds are also likely to fly in for a quick bug snack. You might even see bigger birds, maybe a heron, preying on the fish and frogs.

Many water gardeners aren’t at all interested in a Wildlife Pond. Compared to a common pond, the wildlife pond may seem like a lot of hassle. But still, give it some thought knowing that a wildlife pond is a rich and harmonious ecosystem that breathes new life into your backyard.

Where can you read much more about building your own pond?

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