Have you got a wildlife pond?

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Have you got a wildlife pond?
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Have you got a wildlife pond?

Pond? Well, 7 acre lake, but the staff take care of that

[ 0 ]

Yes, several

27%

[ 5 ]

Yes

27%

[ 5 ]

An ornamental pond

[ 0 ]

Water feature without chemicals

16%

[ 3 ]

Just bird bath/saucers of water/washing up tub

11%

[ 2 ]

None of the above

11%

[ 2 ]

I have a stream/river/beach!

[ 1 ]

Total Votes : 18

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Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 10:15 am Post subject: Have you got a wildlife pond?

Most articles about doing your bit towards conservation say that providing water in your garden is one of the top things you can do to encourage and protect wildlife.

I know a lot of people are concerned about mixing children and ponds, but you can get very sturdy covers, or have a small raised pond - which is also good for a small space.

OH had a pond in a tub when I first knew him, which was frequently visited by birds and frogs - we've still got that.

When we moved in to our house, before putting in heating or any of those minor things, we installed a small preformed pond - it was quickly populated with frog spawn.

About two years ago we installed a series of three ponds with a flexible liner. This had toadspawn the first year, and both toad and frog spawn the second year. We also added some sticklebacks which seem to live in harmony with the toads and frogs (I'm sure some get eaten but enough survive. We also get news visiting. Plus dragonflies, hoverflies, damsel flies; wasps visitng to have a drink, birds bathing.

In short, can't recommend a pond of some sort enough, and if it turns out many people have difficulty/concerns about installing their own I think it might be time for an article on the subject!

Last edited by Bugs on Thu Feb 03, 05 10:57 am; edited 1 time in total

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 10:22 am Post subject:
we've a water feature at present, a really pathetic one, but Himself and I are keen to change that in to a proper pond and its on the project list for this year.

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 10:42 am Post subject:

Sorry for the blatant plug but I have two article on putting in a small pond on my site if you want to take a look.

https://www.selfsufficientish.com/pond.htm and https://www.selfsufficientish.com/photopond.htm

poo just thought I would edit this a bit somehow managed to post it twice the first time (this ONe) half way through

ah well, never mind

Last edited by selfsufficientish on Thu Feb 03, 05 10:46 am; edited 1 time in total

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 10:44 am Post subject:
Sorry for the blatant plug but I have two articles on putting in a small pond on my site if you want to take a look. https://www.selfsufficientish.com/pond.htm and https://www.selfsufficientish.com/photopond.htm Bugs don't let this stop you writing an article yourself. As you will see it is only a simple guide to how I put a pond in on my allotment

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 10:51 am Post subject:
I have a stream!

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 11:36 am Post subject:
JB, I've put in an option just for you then! Andy, I shall read your articles tonight...then I have to be careful not to repeat anything. I'm probably going to get the OH to do it because he's the one that did all the hard work, I just sit by the pond and look mermaid-like

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 11:54 am Post subject:
Ta!

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 12:31 pm Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

I just sit by the pond and look mermaid-like

You'll probably fall in one day.

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 12:51 pm Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

JB, I've put in an option just for you then!

Andy, I shall read your articles tonight...then I have to be careful not to repeat anything. I'm probably going to get the OH to do it because he's the one that did all the hard work, I just sit by the pond and look mermaid-like

If you need to repeat it then do so, I really don't mind.

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 12:52 pm Post subject:
Best thing we ever did,gardening wise! I am waiting for all the frogs to turn up and get laying. It's amazing just how quickly the wild life find it. We get dragonflys, damselflys and darters and were in the middle of Brum

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 12:57 pm Post subject:
been plotting to put something in for years, but garden size wise it is not easy jema

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 1:00 pm Post subject:
I'm not sure what ours qualifies as, it's about 5'square and partially raised. We've got some big stones in it so the birds can drink, and the sinks with herbs in are round it. We get frogs, damsel flies, dragon flies, and occasional toads(though they didn't breed in it last year). I've got a long term plan to make a big pond in our otherwise useless front garden.

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 2:13 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

been plotting to put something in for years, but garden size wise it is not easy

jema

you can sink a washing up bowl and that should attract a few frogs ect .

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 2:33 pm Post subject:

Or you could install a pot pond on your giant deck!

Ours is a half a trug/bucket buried in some soil in a half a barrel. The soil is planted up a bit with reeds etc, the water contains several plants as close to the edge as possible; frogs manage to get in and out quite well and we've had several damselflies hatch from it. Plus it's mobile. And you can build and plant it in a day.

Will definitely have to get Treacodactyl to do this one!

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Fri Feb 04, 05 6:48 pm Post subject:
Here's the one at the bottom of my garden- it's getting a clean out this year

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