Why not make a splash for wildlife?

Adding a pond – big or small – is one of the best ways you can help wildlife in your garden and is this year’s Wild About Gardens challenge from The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society, writes Kelly Muldoon, Communications Officer Ulster Wildlife
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Apr 2019, 16:49 BST
Updated 4th Apr 2019, 16:52 BST
Common frog (Rana temporaria) in garden pond in spring.Pic credit: Mark Hamblin2020VISIONCommon frog (Rana temporaria) in garden pond in spring.Pic credit: Mark Hamblin2020VISION
Common frog (Rana temporaria) in garden pond in spring.Pic credit: Mark Hamblin2020VISION

From mini container ponds to larger sunken ponds, it’s ‘the’ garden feature that can make the biggest difference to wildlife.

We are losing our ponds, rivers and streams at a rapid rate and only a small amount of our natural ponds and wetlands remain.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Many of these are in poor condition and 13 per cent of freshwater and wetland species in the United Kingdom are threatened with extinction. The loss of these important places – to development, drainage and intensive farming – is linked to a huge decline in wildlife, from frogs and newts to insects.

Not all is lost. There is a lot we can do in our gardens to help. By digging even a small pond in your back garden or by simply filling a waterproof container outside your front door, you can provide a home for wildlife and enjoy the benefits of seeing water plants, birds, and bees on your doorstep.

Your pond could also become a feeding and drinking station for hedgehogs, birds, and bats – the best natural pest controllers - and provide a safe place for frogs and newts to breed. All ponds – large, small, dug or container – are good news for damselflies, dragonflies, other insects.

Here are some pond-tastic inspiration to get you started:

*Enjoy our fabulous Big or Small, Ponds for All booklet – a step-by-step guide to creating the perfect pond! Download at www.ulsterwildlife.org

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

*We want to know about every new pond! Each pond contributes towards the network of wild places that nature needs to survive. Put your pond on the map at www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk

*Join in a Thursday pond social! This will run from April 17 to June 27 at 6pm each and every Thursday at twitter.com/WildlifeTrusts to help people identify things in their pond and create conversation.

*Jules Howard will be interviewing ecologists and talking ponds for eight weeks from April 18. Download the podcast from www.juleshoward.co.uk

* Get more inspiration for making your garden a wildlife haven at www.ulsterwildlife.org

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Don’t want a pond? Fill saucers and bird baths with water for wildlife to have a drink or splash; make a mini-bog garden as a low-maintenance alternative or visit a pond near you to check what wildlife lives there.

Related topics:United Kingdom