Ponds

 

Over half of the ponds in Britain have been completely destroyed in the last 100 years. Your local pond may contain examples of almost every major group of animals on earth.

 

Water is essential for all life and the addition of a pond to a garden will attract all sorts of wildlife. As well as providing a much-needed habitat for Britain's increasingly rare pond-life, the water in a shallow-edged pond will be appreciated by bird and mammal visitors to the garden.

 

Did you know?…

 

1 A pond is a small, quiet, enclosed body of freshwater. Ponds are smaller than lakes.

 

2 The sunlight supports the growth of rooted plants in and around the pond. Some pond plants grow entirely underwater or have parts that extend above the surface. Leafy plants may float on the surface.

 

3 Ponds often support a large variety of animal and plant life. Pond animals include fish, frogs, insects, and newts. Microscopic organisms also thrive in all ponds. There is a whole eco system living within a single pond.

 

4 Water temperature of ponds is fairly even from top to bottom and changes with the outside air temperature.

 

5 There is little wave action in the water, and the pond bottom is usually covered in mud.

 

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