Plants for your pond... By Andy McConnachie from Aqua Landscape Design

In the late 18th century natural ponds were estimated to be around 1.2 million and now only 400,000 are left. Those that remain are often polluted or managed for the leisure industry and rarely support an abundance of even common species, so it is no wonder some of our aquatic and sub aquatic wildlife have suffered dramatic falls in population and may even be under threat of extinction.

Creating a wildlife pond helps to encourage wildlife into your garden by recreating lost habitat.

Few will be suitable for more specialised freshwater species but species like the common frog now do better in man-made garden ponds than the wilder countryside.

Even very small water bodies will create a habitat for some species, from water troughs to garden containers filled with rain water; if left even for a short period of time they will attract aquatic invertebrates. Fish ponds and even formal ponds and water features will also attract some wildlife species but for maximum diversity nothing beats a carefully designed wildlife pond. A bog garden will encourage a variety of plants to thrive and because their root systems remain wet they will grow to their full potential, remaining colourful and lush.

Any wildlife such as birds, insects and bats can drink from the shallower areas and amphibians can gain access, even hedgehogs can escape should they accidently wander in at night. Unfortunately fish are not suited for wildlife ponds because they eat all the small larvae and eggs from invertebrates and amphibians.

A very small number of tench, rudd or gudgeon will not usually cause a pond's ecosystem to crash, but introduce goldfish, shubunkins or sarasa’s and they will breed and prevent other animals from reproducing, introduce Koi and they will even eat the plants and disrupt the balance massively.

Apart from having fish in the pond, the food that you give them and the waste they produce will encourage algae to grow. Formal ponds differ from wildlife ponds because they often have steep edges and overhanging edging which prevents easy access to the water and can trap small animals in the water.

Great Crested Newts...

I have been asked by readers to provide some information on Great Crested Newts. These are endangered and any pond management works are covered under the ‘Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981’ and 'The Conservation & Habitats Species Act 2010'. A licence is usually necessary before any works to your pond can be carried out and works of any kind should usually be completed between 1st November and 31st January, when Great Crested Newts are unlikely to be present in ponds. For further information see Natural England’s website at www.naturalengland.org.uk