If you're thinking of building an informal pond, then you should consider the joy a wildlife pond provides: all the beauty and mystery of a more formal goldfish/Koi pond or a water garden, but with much less cost. You'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you are not only enhancing the planet Earth for us humans, but also for its other inhabitants.

Don't get me wrong, I love Koi. They are very pretty and interesting. In fact, I admire them when I visit my friend's pond, but there is a very special satisfaction in researching what is native to your area's wetlands, planting it and watching it thrive. This is especially true now since we are becoming aware of how much of our native wetlands have been destroyed. And as a special bonus, with wildlife ponding, there is a `treasure hunt' aspect:

You never know exactly what critters the habitat you have created will attract from day to day. We once had a fox and her kits come visit! But, even if you live in the city, you can attract wildlife. Over the years we've seen the pond used by more than 40 species of birds, dozens of gorgeous, feisty dragonflies, and frogs galore. Some animals come just to drink or bathe, but others come to live in and depend upon our pond for survival. Such is the case with the dragonflies and frogs. In fact, without water, neither can breed in our gardens at all because the first stage of their lives occurs underwater.

This is especially true of the dragonflies, which by far live the longest part of their lives as under-water nymph. To see a list of the animals that have visited our bigsnest wildlife pond thus far, click on this true saying:

A wildlife pond essentially is a pond planted with native plants in order to attract native animals. Sometimes I'm asked, "Should I go out and collect frogs or caddisfly larva, etc. to get started?" The answer is "NO!" The way to attract wildlife is to provide habitat for them. Without the correct habitat, animals won't have the essentials to survive or enjoy themselves in your pond; they won't stay. The correct habitat for your local wildlife is that which occurs naturally in your area. And the special beauty of this is that what occurs naturally in your area is already adapted to your area. Of course! This means you won't have to 'baby' it. It will thrive in your ideal climate! How much more wonderful it is, to have your major task each season only to be pulling up that growth which you deem to be unnecessary and perhaps giving it to a friend rather than having to spray pesticides, add fertilizers, and amend the soils/water pH constantly.

We only introduced one animal species to our pond, and that was the fish. Now, with the dawning of this new century, we are no longer advocating their use. What we put in are Gambusia, a native fish that at maturity are about the size of a minnow. You may know them by their common name: Mosquito Fish. Here in California you can get them free through the Mosquito Abatement Agency. We admit that they have completely controlled the mosquito population (in fact we have less now than before we had the pond!). We even liked to `pretend' they were little trout fingerlings! BUT, after a few years, we have come to realize that, not only are they eating the mosquitoes, but they are also eating the Tree Frog eggs and the dragonfly eggs/larvae, etc. In fact, they follow our beloved Cardinal Meadowhawk dragonflies around as they tandem oviposit, considering the dragonflies as their own personal 'fish-feeders'! Therefore I now recommend that before trying Mosquito Fish, you give 'mosquito dunks' a try. They are a floating 'donut' of a certain bacteria (Bt) that ONLY infects and kills mosquito larvae. It is NOT the same as the Bt that is sprayed on foliage to control budworms and will not kill caterpillars or dragonflies or any other critters; only mosquito larvae. You can buy/order them through many pond/gardening supply shops or on-line sites. Then, if the dunks don't work for you, you might consider trying Killifish. They are natives and are top feeders to a much greater extent than the Gambusia. They may still eat the eggs of dragonflies as they are deposited, but they would be much less likely to prey on the dragonfly nymph or the frog eggs. Be aware that even goldfish and Koi will dramatically reduce the number and amount of wildlife species using your pond as they too will eat the eggs and young of most of our aquatic wildlife.

6. Provide areas of sunlight and shade; deep and shallow areas of water.

Not only do different plants have distinct requirements for the amount of sunlight they need or can tolerate, but also so do different creatures. Each has different requirements for warmth, light tolerance, etc. The amount of sunlight and its duration during the day combined with the depth of the water will influence the water's temperature. Temperature is important to many plants and animals.

Because raccoons will disturb things in the shallow areas, a deep water depth of at least 18" is necessary to create safe areas for critters to hide in. And the deeper the pond, the more stable its temperature will be. The more stable the temperature, the healthier the environment.

7. Furnish a further transition from pond to yard with a bog &/or planted beds adjacent to the pond.

These bogs and or beds will be great hiding places for frogs and lizards and other creatures including beneficial insects and even the insects eaten by the others. This transitional area will also help blend your pond naturally into your yard.

Another transitional item that not only helps break up the visual perimeter of your pond, thus making it appear larger than it really is, is to include a branch or driftwood that starts on the soil next to your pond and ends inside the pond. This feature has the further benefit of providing a means of escape for any critters that are non-swimmers whom might accidentally enter your pond.

8. Use the technique of covering 2/3 of the surface area with floating plants and 1/3 of bottom area with underwater plants to control algae.

This is much more effective than chemicals and it is a constant that doesn't need 'playing around with' once it is established. The first year or two you will experience some algae growth as your pond stabilizes. But after that, algae should not be a problem. Good surface plants are creeping primrose, parrots feather, native water lilies and water clover. Plants to use underwater include elodia, cabomba, sagittaria, and milfoil.

9. Don't be too fastidious about cleaning.

Much of the wildlife you are hoping to attract lives in or feeds upon critters that are living on your pond bottom and in amongst the plants. Dragonfly nymph clamber about on the plants &/or hide in the litter on the bottom of the pond. Of course, you must remove leaves and other debris that may fall into your pond. A helpful technique for when you do some cleaning is to always check the skimmer net for critters before discarding its contents. Sometimes we put our skimmer leaves into a bucket of water. The dragonfly nymph will gravitate towards the sunny side and can then be poured back into the pond before the leaves are dumped into your compost bin.

10. Allow nature to make her own additions.

Some of the effects we love the most about our pond are things that have just 'sprung up' on their own. Sometimes we have to wait and see what develops. If we like it, it stays. Such was the case with this, our 'mystery' plant whose dramatic large green flowers during the very early spring months are a real delight!

.................end of how to build steps.................

 

 

To find out what plants are native to your area, check out your Native Plant Society (this is a link to some), go to the library, use the Internet, &/or ask your local pond nursery person. We were able to collect almost all of our plants along roadside ditches, thereby keeping our costs to a minimum. Remember to never collect plants in a park or on private property without gaining permission first and to never take a plant that is not abundant at the site. Many of the common pond plants are native Americans, many more are native to North America. The closer the native region of the plants you use to your pond, the more wildlife you will be able to attract.

A few examples of native American water plants are Arrowhead, Blue Flag Iris, Water Calla, Horsetail, Cattail, Lizard's Tail (lots of tails!), Lobelia, Marsh Marigold, Pennywort, Creeping Water Primrose, Pickerel Blue,

Water Forget-me-not, Parrot's Feather, Indian Rhubarb, Cardinal Flower, Golden Club, Water Cress, Water Plantain (Alisma), Sweet Flag, and many others.

 

 

Common plants used in bogs and around ponds that are American natives include Monkey Flower, Douglas Iris, Dogwood, wild Ginger, Leopard Lily, Penstemon, Sword Fern, Five-finger Fern, Deer Fern, Foxglove, Trillium, Optical Fiber Grass, Clarkia, Lupine, Wild Onion, Tiger Lily, Dogwood, Huckleberry, Trillium, Bleeding Heart, ...I could go on for pages!

 

So, if you think you would enjoy having a pond that attracts wildlife, is beautiful, contributes towards the replacement for our dwindling wetlands, provides hours of entertainment, education and relaxation, costs less to build and maintain than a Koi pond, then please do consider a wildlife pond.

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In closing, here are four last pictures showing examples of what you can hope to accomplish. Pictured are scenes of our ~20X24 ft. pond that were taken through the seasons: in spring, summer, fall and winter.

Spring 2000:

 

Plants in order spiraling in from the water fall clockwise: 5- finger Fern, California Fern, Azaleas, Forget-Me-Not, Water Plantain, Mare's Tail, Miniature Cattail, Creeping Primrose (barely leafed out), Miniature Yellow Flag, Water Plantain, Parrot's Feather (barely leafed out), Blue Pickerel, Blue Flag, Water Plantain

 Summer 1998:

 

In this picture even more plants are seen including:

Hydrangea,

Poor-man's Orchid, Pink Cardinal Flower, and Horsetail.

 

Fall 1999:

The golden tones announce the season. In this picture the underwater elodia is visible. During the spring and summer it's growth is dramatic. 

 

(late) Winter 1998:

(cover/opening photo)

Noticeable is the diminuative floating water fern (Azorra), the Forget-Me-Nots and the Azalea.

 

...

Kathy Biggs is the creator of the award winning web site, California Dragonflies and the author of Common Dragonflies of California, A Beginner's Pocket Guide. and Common Dragonflies of the Southwest. Her newest endeavor is a dragonfly coloring book, Dragonflies of North Amreica, A Color and Learn Book with Activities which also is available on a CD. She and her husband David created their wildlife pond in 1996 and can't imagine living without a pond now. Kathy would never have written the dragonfly guide or her other dragonfly books if they hadn't chosen to 'build a pond and they will come.'