How can I attract wildlife to my pond?

Wildlife will find your pond, usually pretty quickly.

Here are some steps you can take to make your pond even more attractive to wildlife:

Create a beach

Giving your pond a beach provides shallow water habitat as well as a place for birds and hedgehogs to stand and drink. Frogspawn often turns up too.

Add plants

Plants oxygenate the water, and most pond life requires oxygen to breathe. They also stop the water going stagnant, and provide food, hiding places and egg laying opportunities for wildlife.

Water lilies are a low-maintenance option and produce pretty flowers. Try to add plants of different heights, too, like water mint, marsh marigold or ragged robin.

Don't take plants from the wild and avoid invasive species.

Give your pond soft edges

Grass edges are great, as are planted edges. If your pond is surrounded on all sides by stones or slabs amphibians like baby frogs can find it difficult to enter or leave the pond, especially on hot days. Having grass or plants around your pond also provides cover for visiting wildlife.

Don't over-tidy

Try not to over-tidy your pond. Some plants will find your pond on their own, like duck weed and blanket weed. If they start to take over the pond, you can gently remove some of the weed, but be sure to carefully check for molluscs and invertebrates first. Generally, though, leave your pond to do its thing. Different plants will provide habitat and food for more species, and your water doesn't always need to be clear.

Add a ramp

A simple wooden ramp into your pond can provide birds with a space to bathe and ensure that hedgehogs visiting your pond don't drown.

Create different depths of water

You can do this when designing your wildlife pond, or using rocks and stones. Areas of shallower water are particularly good for pond life, and the shelves can be used to sit your aquatic plants on.

Sit back and watch

If you've provided water, the wildlife will come. This post gives you an idea of who you might see, and when.

Don't relocate wildlife to your wildlife pond. Don't scoop up frogspawn or river water and take it to your pond. Doing so can spread disease and disrupt habitats. There's no need: the wildlife will come to you.