How To Build Small Garden Pond Bridges The Natural Way

Building bridges in and around your water garden ... encouraging aquatic pond wildlife to come and go

Encourage wildlife into your pond environment. A pond attracts a wide variety of wildlife and the attraction can be made even greater by paying attention to a few approaches of design and layout. In nature diversity is enormous. You find that certain animals prefer shallow areas, others stony areas and still others wooded sections. Many insects prefer riffling running waters over a clean bed of gravel.

Animals need access to and exit from water at times - such as the frog or toad. Birds need shallow water in which to bathe and drink without fear of drowning.

A bridge for animals does not need to be made of wood, nor span the whole width of the pond. It is about creating a natural looking entrance/exit point so that climbing in and out of the water is possible ... I have a swimming pool and have witnessed all sorts of poor animals that have drowned after falling in because they just could not find a foothold to climb out. Many so called wildlife ponds have a beach created from pebbles and this about the perfect way to assist entrance and exit because of the gentle sloping nature of the beach.

With these thoughts in mind create the following:

• A wooden bridge over a section of your pond using a tree stump, you will find birds will perch here as also will dragonflies. Beware however the birds which prey on fish so do not make it too easy.

• A very shallow inclined section (see picture) allowing for animals to literally climb into and out of the water using pebbles to create a beach effect. Wood in the form of a branch can also substitute here. Plants growing around the margins also assist.

• Another way to bridge an outlet for wildlife is to place stones/pebbles between planting baskets at the edge of the pond. In this way the steep sides of the planting baskets or pots can be mounted. Flat slate inclined gently is a very good way of creating such a bridge.

• If you have a waterfall/stream section place a boulder in the middle to create a resting place for birds and also to add character to the flow of water.

• A range of pond plants including those with wide floating leaves will attract birds and frogs in particular. Submerged plants allow insects to breed and hide from predators.