JO CROFT offers some advice on ways to attract amphibians and other pond creatures

Garden ponds are homes to a huge range of wildlife as well as being a vital source of drinking and bathing water. Creating a pond in your garden can really make a difference to local wildlife.

To start, sketch the overall shape of the pond. Try to create landscape features and avoid a bowl shape. You could include hummocks and hollows across the pond floor to create a mix of gradients, or have shallow bays. These features will encourage a wider range of wildlife.

Here are a few tips for creating a pond in your garden:

  • Position your pond in somewhere that receives sunshine for at least two thirds of the day and avoid putting it directly under trees to prevent leaves falling into it
  • Check there are no pipes or wires where you are about to start digging. You can get this information from your local authority
  • Dig a trial pit to test if the soil is workable, and if it holds water without the use of a liner
  • At least half of the pond edge should have gently sloping sides to enable animals to enter and leave easily. Building up a pile of stones to create a beach sloping into the water provides a bathing and drinking platform for birds
  • Create some shallow ledges in the pond, to enable planting of a variety of marginal plants. Shallow water warms up in the sun, creating conditions that will help eggs and young creatures develop
  • It is best to allow your pond to fill naturally with rainwater as tap water contains minerals and nutrients which can encourage algae
  • Wildlife-friendly plants around your pond will attract even more creatures to the area
  • A couple of logs will provide a habitat for many invertebrates. Logs sloping into the pond encourage dragonflies to bask and make effective hiding places for amphibians.
  • For a real wildlife-friendly pond, avoid introducing fish because they will feed on dragonfly larvae, tadpoles, and frog and newt spawn.

For a free factsheet on creating a wildlife pond, contact the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxforshire Wildlife Trust's Wildlife Information Service on 01865 775476 or visit our new-look website at www.bbowt.org.uk