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Attracting pond life
Helen530
Posts: 1
Good evening,
I have a pond which has never attracted any wildlife. I have put in water from other ponds with life in it, aerators and marginals. It has a butyl liner and is filled with rain water. What else can we try to attract pond life?
Many thanks.
0
Posts
Hello Helen
Can you post some photos of your pond and it's surroundings to give us some clues please?
To upload photos start with the camera icon ... If they don't appear try reducing the size - that usually works.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Helen, I am not being rude but are you SURE there isn't any wildlife? In my experience as long as there is water and plants there will be all sorts of wild things in it. They have to be able to get into and out of the water and to hide from heat and predators. Sometimes you don't see them very easily but they are there.
I'd agree with Posy - there's likely tobe wildlife using it, even if you don't always see it.
The surroundings are also important, as Dove says. What other planting do you have nearby? If you attract birds by feeding them, and have plants suitable for bees and other insects, that will all help. Little dark corners for overwintering insects and wildlife are also a good idea. Logs, and rocks etc.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If you don't have longer grass or plants up to the edge of at least part of the pond, any creatures leaving the water are going to be picked off by predators as soon as they emerge.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Have you got a slope or stones to allow creatures to either climb out or to come to drink?
Does the water smell rancid? If so you need some oxygenating plants in there
Have you tried scooping out a jamjar full of water and looking at it with a magnifying glass? I think you'll find there are plenty of invertebrates. Many of these will be larvae of flying insects. Terrestrial creatures aren't going to find their way to your pond unless they are already in the area. I've had my pond three years, and apart from two newts, or possibly two sightings of the same newt, I've seen nothing but invertebrates. They aren't as exciting as frogs but they are just as important in the grand scheme of things. Please don't be tempted to take spawn from the wild. All the wild life orgs advise against it, as you could unwittingly import disease vectors. Amphibians are more likely to breed successfully in a pond they've chosen than one they've been forced into.
I find there are several good ways to discover what's in your pond. The most radical is to get the grandchildren in and go pond dipping with a white plastic container, a net and some jam jars. If it's in there, they will find it and it is great fun, smelly and dirty. If serenity is the name of the game, wait till the sun is fully on the water and just sit by the pond, completely still for half an hour or so. As you get your eye in you will see all sorts of creatures in and above the water, going about their business. For the dedicated, take a strong torch and go out at night and use the beam to penetrate the water. It is also worth gently probing flower beds and damp grass where toads or newts may be foraging. Turn over large flat stones or paving slabs and under containers. Happy hunting!
Amphibians don't actually live in ponds ... They spend some of the year in and around ponds and use them for breeding. At this time of year they're unlikely to be there ... theyre looking for places to spend the winter.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yes, and on a damp evening can often be spotted travelling across the garden to their chosen places.
On this week's GW there was a segment around a garden pond which had no sign of wildlife according to the owner. Granted it was very overgrown, but the general advice given would probably apply equally to the pond the OP is creating. The OP could try introducing some frogspawn in the Spring and hope the frogs return in following years.