Wednesday 2 July 2014
A garden pond
is a water feature constructed in a garden or designed landscape, normally for
aesthetic purposes and/or to provide wildlife habitat. Garden ponds can be
excellent wildlife habitats, and can make a contribution to the protection of
freshwater wildlife. Invertebrate animals such as dragonflies
and water beetles, and amphibians can colonise new ponds quickly. Garden pond
owners have the potential to make many original and valuable observations about
the ecology of small waterbodies, which garden ponds replicate. Garden ponds
also cause problems. In particular, garden ponds can be pathways for the spread
of invasive non-native plants. In the UK the non-native species Crassula
helmsii and Myriophyllum aquaticum, which cause considerable practical problems
in protecting freshwaters, are both escaped invasive species from garden ponds. Source
