more attractive to the native wildlife in your area, since they are adapted to each other. Non-natives may be more attractive to humans but may not necessarily be useful to the local critters. Also, be very careful with aggressive or invasive plants that will overgrow a pond unless they are in a pot or otherwise controlled. Cattails are a good example of aggressive plants. These need to be in a pot without holes. Emergent plants that grow above the water line will provide a habitat for many different types of insects, like dragonflies. Plants that float on the surface provide an ecosystem for many other types of insects, like pollinators that need to get a drink. Submerged plants will be the home for many other types of invertebrates, providing more oxygen to the water column due to their respiration under water. These plants are sometimes called oxygenating plants. They will not be the complete answer to providing all the oxygen the pond needs, but they do help. The associated stream will provide
January/February 2018
the rest of the oxygen to the water column that the ecosystem needs. Adding rocks and logs that come out of the water will provide sun perches for many kinds of wildlife. This also provides a ramp to the outside edge of a pond where the edge is not sloped, so that wildlife that accidently fall into the water can climb out. Some critters will come specifically to these shallow-perch areas to get a drink and bathe. As a bonus, adding these elements gives the pond a more natural look. Wildlife ponds are an adventure in watching nature at its finest. Letting a pond mature over several years without removing sediment or adding different chemical algae controls is not only easier, but it’s also something to watch and learn from. Every wildlife pond will be different. Letting nature take its course is both effortless and an enjoyable learning experience. Watching how a pond changes over time, or as I liike to say, how a pond “dukes it out,” can be a very special experience, indeed. a
About the Author Water gardening has been a passion of Jamie Beyer's for more than 50 years, and he has worked on more than 1,000 ponds. He owns several very large ponds with many different kinds of water plants and fish. Jamie has a master’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Biology and is a Lifetime Master Gardener. He is the founder and former president of the Central Iowa Water Garden Association. He has a broad background in fisheries, the dynamics of water, horticulture and aquatic and wildlife ecology. He currently owns Midwest Waterscapes, a consulting and installation business, where he specializes in water gardens, fountains and ponds.
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