Build a Backyard Wildlife Pond

And watch the local ecosystem grow around it!

By Valarie Rider
Updated on October 31, 2024
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by Valarie Rider

Enhance your garden with a backyard wildlife pond. Learn how to build a backyard pond and get tips for pond plants and wildlife pond-edging ideas.

Having a water source, especially a pond, on your property is one of the cornerstones of providing a welcoming environment for natural systems. From deer and raccoons to birds, amphibians, and insects, the draw of water is unmistakable.

What’s in a Backyard Wildlife Pond?

My pond is in the high desert of the Great Basin, where water is rare and sought after. Providing a water source, even in the middle of town, is a small miracle. The different critters that come together and call a pond home are nothing short of spectacular.

In winter, when the ice breaks up, local songbirds bathe themselves, delighting us as they flit and play. Springtime is alive with frogs and toads singing to attract mates, and then, naturally, hordes of tadpoles appear. Frogs and toads will move out of the pond after mating season, living in the nearby ecosystem and helping keep insect populations in check.

Mating pairs of dragonflies are also attracted to the pond, where they lay their eggs, which later hatch into nymphs. These ravenous nymphs are expert predators, feeding on small insects and other animals, including mosquito larvae and leeches.

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