What is it?
A wildlife pond is a small body of still water, designed to attract and support a diverse range of wildlife. Urban wildlife ponds are often created artificially in gardens or other outdoor spaces that are otherwise well drained, using prefabricated moulds or soft, flexible rubber or plastic liners. They tend to be categorised as ‘small pond’ if they are less than 4m2 and ‘large pond’ for anything bigger. The main differences are likely to be the amount of planting and that large ponds tend to have more deep areas (60cm or more). Regardless of size, a key quality of a pond, as opposed to a bog garden or swale, is that it is at least partly filled with water all year round, never drying up. There should be at least one shallow, sloping side to allow safe entry and exit for wildlife that could otherwise fall in and drown, and carefully selected planting to oxygenate and clean the water and support wildlife above and below the water’s surface. Ideally they’re sited in a mostly sunny position, perhaps shaded for the hottest part of the day, and away from trees that would otherwise drop leaves into them. Unlike traditional ponds, wildlife ponds typically do not contain fish, as fish can disrupt the delicate ecosystem and prey on other pond life. Going without fish might feel like a huge sacrifice but you’ll be generously rewarded with the amount of wildlife your pond hosts as a result, not to mention the cost savings associated with not having to install and manage complicated filtration systems.
What does it do?
Ponds provide water for drinking or absorbing through the skin. They are a place to lay eggs and grow to maturity. Since so many species live and breed in and around ponds they are also rich hunting grounds for predators of all sizes, whether in, on or well above the water. Pond planting is a key factor too: deep water plants provide oxygen that sustains underwater animals; marginal plants can be important food for pollinators and ladders for egg-laying adults or emerging larva. Ponds help cool overheated animals in summer and – in their deepest areas – provide liquid water refuges when everything at the surface is frozen solid. They also help cool the surrounding environment. Perhaps above all from a human perspective, they can be the most calming and tranquil of places.
Who benefits?
Animals like frogs and newts, some dragonflies and damselflies and a huge number of insects and invertebrates require the still waters of a healthy pond to lay their eggs in and spend the months or even years of their larval stages in.
Many of our Spotlight Species will feed on the abundance of plants, animals and other things living in and around ponds, and most of our Spotlight Species will drink at it. This includes hedgehogs, bats and birds (apart from swifts which drink from larger water bodies or hydrate from their prey insects), and invertebrates including bees. This is why shallows are so important – so these animals can access water and get out if they’ve fallen in.
Frogs and toads actually spend relatively little of their adult lives in ponds, instead roaming hundreds of metres or more from their childhood home in search of food. Some return to overwinter at the bottom of the pond, absorbing oxygen through their skin. Hot days will draw them back to the cooling waters too, demonstrating an important role for ponds as places for overheated animals including birds to regulate their body temperatures.
