Water is life. It is indispensable to all of earth’s plants and animals. With a little effort and space, you can add the magic of water to your personal landscape, in the form of a pond or a container, and then watch as a community of backyard wildlife develops.

Traditional garden ponds are designed for growing aquatic plants and keeping ornamental fish. To meet these specialized needs, the ponds have steep sides and flat bottoms, often with a shelf around the perimeter for containers of plants that need to grow in standing water. Prefabricated ponds usually range in depth from twelve to twenty-four inches. These configurations and depths will keep ornamental fish and water lilies healthy, and they allow for the wintering over of plants and fish in colder climates. However, they are not really suited for wildlife. The steeper and deeper the pond, the more dangerous it is for birds, mammals, and reptiles to use for drinking or bathing.

If a pond is to be usable to wildlife, it must allow an animal access to water without the danger of slipping or falling into deep water from which the animal cannot escape. Think of a birdbath. What draws the birds is a shallow pan of water into which they can hop or wade safely. A wildlife-friendly pond should have a similar shape on a larger scale. This means that the slope of the pond, and the material of the pond bottom, and the edging around the pond become important considerations.

Because prefabricated ponds and containers are not the appropriate shape, a plastic or rubber pond liner is probably the best choice for building a pond. Using a liner, you can create a shallow pond with a gradual sloping area at the edges. If you limit the deepest part of the pond to six or eight inches and include sizable rocks, tree limbs, or floating plants in the deeper portions, you can eliminate the risk of drowning for most animals.

Position your pond where it will receive four or more hours of direct sunlight. This helps ensure that water lilies and other aquatic plants will grow well. Avoid areas shaded by deciduous trees or shrubs- their leaves will fall into the pond, and make excavation difficult. Be sure to steer clear of low-lying areas that naturally collect runoff or drainage water. Give underground utility lines a wide berth. (Call your local utility company to find out where your utility lines are.)

You will be refilling your pond regularly, so place it near a convenient source of water.

First, create a bed of protective material to avoid punctures in the pond’s liner by rocks, roots, or other debris. You can find special fabrics for this purpose at a pond supply store. Builders’ sand is also a useful underlayer

You can choose from a variety of plastic and rubber liners. Plastic liners are cheaper but thinner, and rubber liners are more durable.

You can choose from many materials to finish off the edge of a pond: slate, brick, edging, rocks, concrete, turf grasses, and other plantings. Keep in mind that the edging of the pond should not present an obstacle to an animal trying to get into or out of the water.

Once you have picked a location and purchased materials, start digging. After you have dug the shallow hole for the pond, line it with an appropriate underlayment, and then lay the liner. Next, fill the pond, trim the liner, and set the edging in place. Consult a reputable water gardening company or your state or county extension agency (find the number in the government section of the telephone book) for further technical information appropriate to your geographical area.

Consider some "pond-scaping" to further enhance your pond’s appeal for wildlife. You can provide handy perches by placing flat rocks in the water or by laying tree branches across a section of the pond.

Normal maintenance includes topping off the pond with fresh water and removing any debris that lands in the pond. Because a wildlife-friendly pond is much shallower than the typical garden pond, the water will probably evaporate faster, so keep a watchful eye on water levels. You may also find algae grows more quickly. Try partially changing the water on a regular basis. Submerged aquatic plants may also cut down on algae growth. Consult your local water gardening suppliers for more suggestions.

Keep in mind the needs of the animals who live around you as they attempt to use the pond as a source of water. Birds, for instance, find moving water fascinating; if your pond includes a recirculating pump for filtering or a waterfall, place a flat rock under the inflow to the pond for an instant bathing area. Birds, amphibians, and insects will also land or sit on large lily pads and drink from the edge of the leaf. You might see goldfinches or red-winged blackbirds perch on the vertical stems of plants rising out of the water to drink, or barn swallows scooping moist earth from the pond edge or potted plants to make nests.

No matter how large or small your property, you can enhance its value for wildlife with the addition of a well-planned water garden. In doing so, you create another connection between yourself and the natural world.

Richard Farinato
Wild Neighbor News
The Humane Society of the United States

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