BUILD A POND FOR WILDLIFE*
Habitat Gardening: Ponds of All Sizes
- MINDSET:
- Choose to give a priority to wildlife.
- Choose to enhance the Earth.
- RESEARCH:
- Find out what is native in your area.
- Discover what you personally like.
- Research what is available.
- DESIGN PERIMETER:
- Consider placement.
- If you can see it, you'll get more benefit
- Sun/shade
- Vary the edge treatments.
- Beach
- Rocks/logs
- Sunny/shady bog
- Possibly grassy areas
- Provide transitions.
- Use of waterfall/fountain
- DESIGN INTERIOR:
- Vary water depths, inc. shallow area(s).
- Plant in clumps.
- Something for each season.
- Vary foliage shapes/colors
- Reflective areas
- BUILD SLOWLY:
- CONTROL ALGAE:
- 2/3 surface floating plants/shaded
- 1/3 bottom underwater plants
- CONTROL MOSQUITOES:
- 1st choice=Mosquito dunks - harms NOTHING else
- 2nd choice=native fish - top feeders
- last choice=mosquito fish - opportunistic feeders (feed at all levels)
- CLEANING:
- Don't be too fastidious
- Best done early in day while 'critters' are in pond depths
- TIE IN WITH THE REST OF YOUR YARD AND YOUR HOME:
- Pond plants/rocks used elsewhere in yard
- Flower arrangement in home with pond plants
- ALLOW NATURE TO MAKE HER OWN ADDITONS/CONTRIBUTIONS
*Koi and Goldfish are not native North American fauna and should not be included in any wildlife pond. They would feed upon frog eggs, pollywogs, dragonfly eggs, dragonfly nymph, etc. and they would feed on your native plants.
©Kathy Biggs,
2002 http://bigsnestpond.net/
(This document may be reproduced as long as the copyright
information above is included)