Pond Critters not staying put!

by OLIVIA
(TORONTO ONTARIO)

Dear Doug, We have had a pond in our yard for 6 years now and we love it. The pond is roughly 2600-3000 gallons and in the shape of a heart. There are waterfalls that flow into the heart at the widest portion. We have tried many many times to encourage frogs and turtles to live in our backyard Eden, but to no avail. One year we rounded up over 40 lepard frogs (native to us) and one by one they all hopped out of the pond and left us. None returned. What are we doing wrong? I love frogs but cannot understand why they don't love my pond. Any hints would be welcome. Olivia

Doug says this is quite unusual and my first guess is that you don't have a way for the frogs/turtles etc to "easily" get in and out of the pond. Normally when you're trying to get critters to stick around, you really want to give them access to the water but they also need ready access to get out of the water to hunt and feed.

Get several logs that reach into the pond and shore - display them artfully.

The other question would be about construction - this kind of problem more easily happens with a pond that has an exposed liner (slippery) compared to ponds with rockwork that allow easier climbing.

The third issue would be around hiding place around the pond. Don't forget the primary objective of a critter is to survive. So unless you have a lot of hiding spots where they can avoid cats, raccoons, dogs, raptors etc then they're going to leave. Think frog houses. :-)

And finally, let me suggest that if your pond resembles Niagara Falls more than a calm natural pond (no idea how much your waterfall is pumping) then again, this is not the normal habitat for frogs.

Those are the things I'd suggest off the top of my head not knowing how you have it set up.

Frogs like still water, lots of hiding spaces in and around the pond, easy in-out access.

Build it and they will come. :-)

pond snails

by Carla Crockett
(East Wenatchee WA)

where do they come from and are they good for our waterfall pond?

Doug says they "arrive" from nature or from hitch-hiking on plants. Think of them as Mother Nature's first line of organic matter decomposition. They may take a bite or three out of good plants every now and then but they're an essential part of the pond ecosystem.