The most popular type of outdoor pond is without a doubt a fish pond, with clean waters and filters. The much less common option, requesting a more adventurous spirit, is to build a wildlife outdoor pond.
First let’s define what is a wildlife pond. A wildlife pond is a natural environment hosting a self-sustaining ecosystem. A spot in your property backyard where nature has regained full control and you are merely an observer.
What are the steps to create wildlife backyard ponds?
1. Your pond must be located where wildlife has a free and undisturbed access. Best spots are the very edge of your property and close to nature.
2. Follow the building tips described below.
3. Borrow water from an existing wildlife pond, naturally occurring ones are best.
4. Let nature take control.
5. Eventually the environment will take care of the rest.
What can you expect? Well, if you take care of the details, you will have an autonomous ecosystem filled with a variety of living creatures and with little need for maintenance at all.
Building a wildlife pond.
A wild life pond is built using any informal outdoor pond plans, but your equipment list will be smaller as there is no need for filtration or aeration, nature will take care of this tasks. An important point to add is that fish will destroy your insect population, the basic food for other wildlife animals, so this kind of pond won’t host any kind of fish in it.
The best place to locate your wildlife pond is at an edge of your backyard, as close as possible to nature. But avoid problems, far from your house and neighbors property as the pond will attract insects, toads and other animals.
To create natural hiding places for the wildlife you want to attract, keep the vegetation around your pond as high and untidy as possible, but allow human access to enjoy and take care of it.
A secret ingredient that will make the difference. Find a naturally occurring wildlife pond, take some water from it and introduce it into your pond. The organisms you got from the natural pond will populate your newly created wildlife pond.
What kind of animals can you expect? The water borrowed from the natural pond will start an insect population. Your first visitors will probably be pond skaters and eventually dragonflies. With insects in place yo will start attracting their predators, toads and birds. If your site won’t let easy access to animals you can by some toads and introduce them to your backyard. But if your pond start growing mosquitoes or other undesirable insects you can add snails to keep the water clean.
Pond building have a large number of options, and wildlife ponds are not always the most popular, but if well planned and executed it can be a wonderful part of your backyard.
Looking for some ideas and inspiration for your outdoor pond, then visit pond-building-mastery.com to find essential tutorials, know-how and tips about pond building.
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