Wildlife ponds

Wildlife ponds support a huge range of creatures including invertebrates - pond skaters, water boatmen, water beetles and pond snails as well as amphibians - frogs, toads and newts. All these creatures will colonise a pond themselves. It is against the law to move great crested newts and natterjack toads from their chosen habitat. As a rule fish and amphibians do not thrive in the same pond as fish will eat the young tadpoles and newt larva. The froglets, toadlets and newt efts leave the pond using a shallow slope or climbing on planted baskets and then benefit from an area around the pond that is well planted with bog plants and that has logs and stones to hide under that give them cover from predators. These predators include garden birds such as blackbirds that come to the pond to drink and bathe. Dragonfly and damselfly will breed in ponds. Their larvae live in shallow, sheltered water for some years and need submerged plants as cover and for hunting prey. They will eat other insects, fish fry and tadpoles and need taller emergent pond plants to crawl up when they become adults.

What should I think about when I want to build a wildlife pond?

Firstly, think about the siting of the pond. It should be in a part of the garden not overhung by trees but an area that is secluded where the creatures that visit the pond will feel secure as they come and go. It should have easy access in and out so sloping sided areas or plenty of vegetation they can use as 'stepping stones' to climb out. If you can surround it on one or more sides by planting from a moist habitat, bog garden or hedgerow then that will give the amphibians greater cover and protection from birds and other predators as they look for food. Or create a pile of stones or rocks near to a shallow stony beach where they can quickly find shelter.   Amphibians return to the pond water to mate and lay eggs after winter hibernation on land in wood piles or under garden buildings. They will make a number of journeys in and out of the water in a season so plantings of uncut foliage will link these areas together. Patios, tarmac drives, fences divide up the natural garden and make wildlife journeys more hazardous. The pond should be built to a depth of 60-75 cm (2' - 2'6") - shelf 3 - with other plant shelves at different depths - 15cm (6") for shelf 1 and 30cm (12") for shelf 2. These should be as wide as possible to accomodate the different marginal plant species and the areas of water they want to colonize.    Do not build a rim of shelves 6" wide around a larger surface area of deep water as this will be unbalanced proportionately when you come to plant. One third to one half of the pond surface area should be given to shelf planting areas.    The pond plants should be placed on the shelves in their baskets and the pond wildlife will use these to get out of the water. It is more successful if you keep the pond plants in separate baskets rather than planting them all directly into mud on the shelves as the vigorous plants will take over the entire shelf area and the less vigorous plants will be swamped.   To allow creatures such as hedgehogs a way to climb out if they should fall into the pond at least one side should be made as a sloping shelf. In between the cobbles used to cover the liner on this sloping shelf you can use pond plants that enjoy water at their roots but not too much depth of water over their crowns. You could use Caltha palustris Alba, Veronica  beccabunga, Juncus ensifolius or Cyperus eragrostis and these will also provide habitat cover for small amphibians as they venture out of the pond on this route.

How many plants do I need to create a balanced wildlife habitat?

How do I choose the right plants for my pond?

Pond plant scale and size? Some marginal plants are more suited to garden wildlife ponds others to a larger lake situation. Dependant on the size of your wildlife water area choose the varieties carefully - ie. Typha latifolia is a vigorous rafting plant but Typha minima is a smaller clumping variety. The same is true for Iris. The Native is the Yellow Flag Iris - Iris pseudacorus which can grow to 5ft tall and spreads into a solid clump of 2ft width within a couple of years. There are more restrained Iris 2ft 6" in height with a slower growth rate that fit more in the scale of most garden ponds that are not Natives. The choice of colours then include blues, purples, whites and black. British Natives or non-natives? Oxygenating plants should always be Native species as all the non Native are highly vigorous. Callitriche palustris (Starwort) or Ceratophyllum demersum (Hornwort) are good for starting up wildlife ponds and both can be used together. In a new pond, the stocking rate for oxygenating plants should be two bunches or 9cm pots per m² of surface area. They occupy different areas of the pond as do the wildlife species you hope to attract - Hornwort gives underwater cover for newts, frogs and toads and the Starwort gives surface protection and cover for tadpoles and water boatmen whilst both use up the nitrates in the water and help to avoid the growth of blanketweed and other algaes. Potamogeton crispus is valuable in a more shady pond and Ranunculus aquatilis for moving water. Not all the marginal pond plant species for a wildlife pond have to be British Natives - some other species such as Pontederia add a later flowering season and interesting leaf structure to a wildlife pond. Some British Natives pond plants can be too vigorous for a small scale area. There are smaller varieties such as Juncus ensifolius, Caltha palustris Alba that are all members of a family that contain Native plants but these particular varieties are not classed as Native pond plants. Because of the 'family connections' they do not look out of place in a wildlife setting and are not invasive. These can make interesting additions to a wildlife pond in a smaller scale area than the Native Juncus effusus, Cyperus longus and Caltha palustris which are all more vigorous. There is only one Native waterlily and that is potentially large and only in white. Smaller white waterlilies are available for a smaller pond that are not Native and these are used in our smallest Native pond scheme. Coloured waterlilies are available in the non native category and are used in the Pond starter collections along with more brightly coloured flowers and variegated foliage.   Add Native to our search (top right hand corner) and that will give you all the British Native plants available through our website to choose from for planting a wildlife pond. Purchase the Native Planting scheme and we will send you a scheme that will introduce a balance of pond plant species for a small wildlife pond including plants for different positions in the pond. For a larger pond Native Planting scheme 2 - 3 can be purchased. Muddy to moist areas Blending out from the wet areas of the pond the wetland habitat planting should be dense in places to allow the creatures that come and go from the water at various stages of their life cycles to do so safely under the protection of plant foliage. In the boggy wetland areas pond plants that like wet mud can be used - Caltha, Iris, Eriophorum and Lysichiton. If you have created a separate area for moist loving plants alongside your linered pond then plants for moist or damp conditions can be used to create the necessary sheltered habitat eg. Darmera peltata, Iris ensata and Ligularia species

What are the best plants to encourage newts?

Newts return to the pond as mating adults at around 3 years old and are looking for still water and space to perform their mating routine. The male tries to attract the female with his bright tummy and dances in front of her encouraging her to follow so that when he drops his 'sperm pack' she will swim over it and it will attach to her underbelly.  Native species of rafting plants - Mentha aquatica, Veronica beccabunga and Myosotis scirpioides raft horizontally across the water with some leaves submerged under the waters surface. Oxygenators like Water Cress also have small submerged leaves that are useful to newts. The female newts will lay their eggs in the leaves of these rafting plants so these are good pond plants to encourage any of the 3 Native species of newts to breed successfully in your pond. (Great Crested, Smooth and Palmate Newts)  The photo shows the folded leaves of Myosotis scirpioides that have been used by the female newt to wrap her eggs in for safety from infection and predators.

How can I help frogs to spawn & survive in my pond?

Froglife (the wildlife charity for conservation of amphibians and reptiles) advise that frogspawn is not taken from one pond to another to help control the spread of invasive pond plants and amphibian disease. Each female usually produces one clump of frog spawn in a season usually in warm days in March. Frog spawn is laid as lumps about the size of a tennis ball made up of jelly and eggs on shallow shelf areas and then as they mature these lumps swell to grapefruit size and beyond so that many can merge to look like one jelly mat.   Pond conservation are asking pond owners to take part in the Big Spawn Count to see how many lumps of spawn appear in your pond so they can see how many breeding females are reported.  Big Spawn 2012 count results: The average number of spawn clumps in garden ponds was twelve eqivalent to 12 breeding females visiting. It was quite common for people to report over 20 clumps, and nearly a fifth of people had this much spawn. Bigger ponds had more spawn, with an average of 28 clumps and the smallest garden ponds had an average of just over 6 clumps, with medium-sized ponds averaging 13 clumps. The adult female lays several thousand eggs to allow for huge losses - each in a clump of jelly with dark brown-black centres but a clump of spawn will sit half submerged under the water and half exposed to the air and so vulnerable to being killed by overnight frosts. Dead eggs will have grey or white centres. In a light frost only the spawn closest to the surface will be killed the rest may survive as they are insulated from the cold in the centre of the clump. If a small amount of spawn has died leave it in the pond and it will break down or get eaten by other creatures but a large amount of decomposing spawn jelly can overload the pond with nutrients so take it out and put it on the compost heap.   Live tadpoles will live on the jelly that provided protection before they hatched out and will then survive on algae and vegetation in the pond. Once they start to develop legs, tadpoles change from being vegetarians to carnivors. Most established ponds will have enough food for the tadpoles to develop to maturity.   Many tadpoles are eaten in Spring - up to 90% of the eggs, tadpoles or froglets in the pond are lost to predators (dragonfly larva, water boatmen, snakes or birds as they swim in the warm shallow waters at the edge of a pond. They need as much cover from plant leaf as possible so they have somewhere to hide from these predators. This would include Myosotis species, Veronica beccabunga and in a larger pond area - Mentha aquatica, Menyanthes trifoliata and Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum.     Garden ponds are often home to more than one species of amphibian - see newt and toad sections - this is a healthy situation and shows that the pond is functioning well. A cyclical predator-prey relationship will establish where the numbers of one will control another until all becomes balanced eg newts are a predator of frog tadpoles especially in the weeks immediately after frog spawning when adult newts are in the pond laying their eggs on the same pond plants the tadpoles are swimming in.   Adult frogs can be affected by Frog red leg - ranavirus - on hot days between June and August, as it is most virulent at temperatures above 25°C. The most common way to identify the problem is to find a large number of dead frogs in a short space of time with the frogs often thin and lethargic before death.  Affected frogs may appear with:  Drowsiness (lethargy). Abnormal wasting (emaciation).  Redness of the skin (erythema).  Skin ulcers or sores.  Bleeding (systemic haemorrhaging), especially from mouth/anus.  Breakdown of limbs (limb necrosis). Eye problems.

Which plants could help toads to spawn?

When the weather warms up in Spring toads will leave their places of hibernation.  All they are interested in is getting back to their breeding ponds – not just any pond but the one they grew up in themselves. They will try to get back there even if a busy road is in the way and can travel up to 2 km from the grasslands where they spend the rest of the year. Toad wardens exist at some well known crossing points to help the toads survive these road crossings. Toads are 'at risk' and are protected from sale.  Toads look different to frogs as they have a 'warty' skin and walk rather than jump. They also occupy a deeper area of the pond than frogs can as they can produce a nasty tasting toxin that means they are safer from predators. Even toad tadpoles taste unpleasant and can survive in open water in a pond shared with fish.                                                             Toads lay eggs amongst plant growth well under the waters surface. So a plant with at least 4" of submerged, upright bushy growth is useful. The stems of a plant like this Caltha palustris which are under the water surface will be used by the female toad to inter-twine her spawn. She releases masses of these strings of jelly each about 1/2" wide containing her eggs and leaves them draped around the plants underwater. This toadspawn was found and photographed in the first week of April 2012.

Pond plants for insect pollinators

Pond plant flowers can be part of the garden food chain that can help sustain many groups of British insects - butterflies, moths, hoverflies wasps and bees. Flowers can offer sources of nectar and pollen - insects need nectar as an energy source and pollen grains contain proteins and oils. All insect visitors attracted to a flower as a food source will also be able to transfer pollen on its body to another flower of the same plant and complete the pollination process leading to fertilization and the production of seeds or fruit.   Aim to have plants whose flowers are attractive to pollinating insects in bloom from Spring to Autumn. Avoid double flowers as they may be lacking in nectar and pollen and insects may have difficulty gaining access to them.   The following list of pond plants have flowers 'Perfect for Pollinators' (RHS)   Alisma plantago-aquatica  Nymphaea alba  Butomus umbellatus  Potentilla palustris  Caltha palustris  Ranunculus aquatica  Iris pseudacorus  Ranunculus flammula  Lythrum salicaria  Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum  Mentha aquatica  Sagittaria sagittifolia  Menyanthes trifoliata  Veronica beccabunga  Myosotis scirpioides Plants for moist and boggy areas 'Perfect for Pollinators'  Aruncus dioicus  Filipendula ulmaria  Eupatorium maculatum  Geum rivale

Wildlife cover in the summer

Greater surface cover later in the year can be obtained from water lilies. The only Native waterlily is Nymphaea alba which can be too vigorous for a small pond so substitute the smaller white Hermine.   Or use the Native Frogbit (Hydrocharis Morsus Ranae) whose leaves only grow to 1" in diameter and Water Soldier (Stratiotes aloides). These plants will help to protect the young and vulnerable newts as well as the frog and toad tadpoles undergoing metamophosis from the egg stages through to adults in different areas of the pond.   Oxygenating plants will be increasing in volume in the warmer summer months and should be allowed to fill 30% of the volume of the pond. This gives further places for young amphibiams to hide in different depth zones of water as they grow and mature.   The shelf or sloping ledge areas of the pond can add further seasons of flowering interest and encourage visits by hoverflies and bees - Butomus umbellatus, Lythrum salicaria and Caltha palustris. Plant growth on the shelf areas of the pond will give protection as the young leave for the first time and plants like Iris whose rhizomes walk out into the water make that transition between water and land smoother.   Moist and bog plantings around the outside of the pond water will be full and leafy in growth by now and as well as giving the pond a backdrop and setting they provide foraging places for slugs and other insects whilst they are hiding under a protective canopy.

Plants for dragonflies

Your choice of marginal pond plants can also help some wildlife to climb out of the pond - dragonfly and damselfly larvae will use the tall stems of marginal plants - Water Iris, Lythrum salicaria, Butomus umbellatus, Eriophorum and Cyperus species to climb out and emerge as adults leaving the larvae casing left abandoned when they fly for the first time. They will then rest on tall plant leaves like this Pontederia or the Schoenoplectus stems and bask in the sunshine or swoop over the water in a ritual mating routine in search of a partner. The copulatory wheel takes place either using upright plant stems like Typha species or waterlilies but never far from the water. This will result in the females laying their eggs back into the mud at the edge of the pond or into the water around the marginal pond plants or waterlilies. The dragonfly larvae then live beneath the water surface for years until it is their time to climb out on the upright pond plants in the last few months of their lives to go through the same cycle as their parents.

How can I control blanketweed in a pond for wildlife as I do not want to use chemicals?

The natural, organic method for controlling blanketweed is to use Barleystraw products - either in the form of the straw itself or the liquid concentrate for a smaller water space together with the correct balance of planting. Oxygenating plants to compete for the mineral salts and surface cover pond plants to block out sunlight are vital. Chemical products should be avoided in the pond water.

How can I build an area for moist planting or bog garden around my pond if my soil does not retain water?

You can create an area that can be kept moist or wet by digging out 2ft of soil and lining the hole with cheap lining material like builders damp proof membrane. Add 3” depth of gravel for drainage and the puncture the membrane with a fork. This will allow some drainage but keep some moisture in the soil. Refill the lined hole with good soil and humus rich compost and cut the liner off at the top so it blends into the rest of the garden. This area can then be kept as wet as you like by watering from a porous or leaky hosepipe that will constantly drip when attached to a tap or water butt. This area will provide protection for wildlife species and you will find that by encouraging frogs to the area they will protect Hosta’s and other plants eaten by slugs.