Dragonflies, damselflies, moorhens: the wildlife moving into the pond, and how to coexist with it

Just a few weeks after it is created, a pond becomes a magnet for wildlife. Dragonflies and damselflies patrol the water, and sometimes a moorhen settles among the reeds. Good news for biodiversity in the garden, provided you know what to expect.

Dragonflies and damselflies

Adults hunt mosquitoes and small insects in flight. However, they spend most of their lives underwater: depending on the species, the larvae live there for several months or even years as predators. They eat mosquito larvae and small invertebrates, and sometimes fish fry.

To attract them and help them reproduce:

• emergent plants (irises, rushes, bulrushes, etc.), which the larvae climb for their final molt;
• submerged plants where they hide and where some species lay their eggs;
• a sunny area sheltered from the wind;
• no insecticide treatments around the pond.

The moorhen

Discreet, recognizable by its red and yellow beak and its tail movements, it nests in the dense vegetation along the banks. Omnivorous, it feeds on plants, seeds, and small aquatic animals: it can peck at young shoots and, occasionally, eggs or fish fry.

• Protect new plantings with a basket or net until they become established.
• Leave it a separate area of dense vegetation if you want it to stay.
• Do not disturb it during nesting.

Finding the right balance

An ornamental pond can be both a home for fish and a refuge for wildlife: gently sloping banks, a marsh area, and refuges for fish. For amphibians, also read frogs, toads and newts in the pond, and for predators, how to deter herons.

Want to make your pond more welcoming to wildlife? The Foudebassin team is here to help: contact us, or come and see our marginal plants in our aquatic garden centre.