Pond building

Is it worth building a wildlife pond in your garden?

Most definitely, yes. Within a week of the pond being filled, adult frogs had made a home there. Because of the time of year we built the pond we 'imported' some frog spawn from a friend's garden pond and at least forty froglets developed from this spawn. (Now we have our own frogspawn)

We had dozens of pond skaters, also damselflies and water beetles. The pond plants grew prolifically and in a short space of the time the pond began to look established. Adult frogs sat in the shallows, each in its own particular spot and emerged from the pond at dusk to devour the pests in our garden.

Baby greenfinches and blackbirds came regularly to bathe and many species of birds drank from the pond. The pond was even visited at night by local badgers and foxes.

Any downsides? Attracting wildlife also attracted the attentions of a heron. He decided to pay regular visits in the early morning and devoured some of the adult frogs who had become rather complacent about their own safety. So far this year he's not put in an appearance. There are now extra stones both in the pool and outside it for the frogs to hide under, plus more dense planting around the pond. The grassed edge has also been allowed to grow into the pond to create a more natural look and afford some protection. If you have children, ponds can be very dangerous places. Go to the considerations page for alternatives.

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