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widlife pond

blueflybluefly Posts: 42
in Wildlife gardening
hi could anyone help i have had a wildlife pond i made  about 4years ago   the first year or so it had newts and frogs but never any frog spawn i have bought lots of different  pond plants but now it seems life less nothing in it for the past 2years i only use rain water what am i doing wrong many thanks for any advice given
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  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    Any chance of posting a photo of the pond as that will give forum members some idea of what you are dealing with.
    In the meantime. Newts and frogs are not the only life in a pond and without the creatures at the bottom of the food chain, there is no chance that the amphibians will want to breed in your pond. Have you tried looking at a sample of the water collected in a jam jar/glass to see if it has tiny creatures bobbing about? Does the pond have a snail population? Is the bottom of the pond deep with rotting leaves? Whilst it can be a problem if the rotting vegetation is deep, some muck at the bottom of a pond is essential for pond creatures. Do you make a habit of cleaning out the pond? A pristine pond is only good for goldfish.
  • blueflybluefly Posts: 42
    thanks for your reply i dont clean the pond out only if their are leaves floating on top
    i cant see anything at all in the pond it is very clear and their is sludge at the bottom the birds come and drink from it and i have never took pictures i will ask my daughter  for help many thanks 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Newts will often eat spawn/tadpoles. A small pond is difficult for both frogs and newts to co exist. Bigger is fine but it also depends what you mean by small and big.
    Frogs don't live in ponds most of the time, so you also need cover around it, as well as having plants in the pond itself to attract them, and it may simply be that there's amore suitable pond elsewhere for them    :)
    A photo will help too. 
    It sounds as if the water's evaporating quickly if you're topping up with rainwater. How are you collecting it?
    I just use tapwater for mine - I have a fair amount of very, very shallow areas for bees/wasps etc, and although we get a lot of rain, it doesn't mean we don't also get dry spells and it can evaporate in those bits. I use the hose set like a sprinkler at one end which also oxygenates the water. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AnguisFragilisAnguisFragilis Posts: 95
    Amphibians are terrestrial animals which breed in water, our natives are anyway. If the surrounding terrestrial habitat isn’t appropriate then the pond is irrelevant. 

    Ceres said:
    Any chance of posting a photo of the pond as that will give forum members some idea of what you are dealing with.
    In the meantime. Newts and frogs are not the only life in a pond and without the creatures at the bottom of the food chain, there is no chance that the amphibians will want to breed in your pond. Have you tried looking at a sample of the water collected in a jam jar/glass to see if it has tiny creatures bobbing about? Does the pond have a snail population? Is the bottom of the pond deep with rotting leaves? Whilst it can be a problem if the rotting vegetation is deep, some muck at the bottom of a pond is essential for pond creatures. Do you make a habit of cleaning out the pond? A pristine pond is only good for goldfish.

  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    Do cats eat tadpoles .? I finally had a little few swimming about ,but next door’s blooming cat won’t leave my wildlife pond alone ,it’s ever drinking from it and sticking it’s paws in ,now the tadpoles have gone , is it possible that pussy has scoffed them ? I don’t know what to think ! 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    More likely to be birds, or other wildlife  @bcpathome. 
    You could net it at this time of year, just leaving small gaps for wildlife to get in and out, and that could deter the cat a bit. Or get one of the water scarecrows to keep it away. They work better than anything, but can't be used during frosty weather and over winter as they freeze and burst. 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    Thank you . Not likely to be pussy then . I don’t think I’ll net it just in case anything gets caught , I’ll just have to teach pussy a lesson with my water gun filled with orange squash. I’ve got rid of other cats that way . Wouldn’t mind but our outdoor space is the smallest in the cluster of cottages ,why don’t the cats go in the bigger spaces ? They really are a Bally pain .
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Not cats but I did once catch a Blackbird which had dragged out an adult Newt from the pond.  Told it off before any damage done but I was a bit surprised.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Newts will eat tadpoles.  Also dragonfly larvae. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    No newts in my pond so they aren’t to blame here .
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