7 minute read
Creating a wildlife pond
Your step-by-step guide to making a miniature pond.
This summer is the perfect time to create your own garden pond. Not only do ponds provide safe places for breeding amphibians like toads and frogs, but they are feeding grounds for some of our favourite garden wildlife. Birds and bats will swoop and flutter overhead to check out your pond, rich in little aquatic insects to feed on. You might also spot hedgehogs and other mammals sniffling and scampering nearby to get a refreshing drink.
Common frog photo: Guy Edwardes/2020VISION
What you will need: • Washing up bowl/plant pot/disused sink • waterproof liner (if the container is not watertight) • rocks of different sizes • pond plants • rain water
Step 1 Step 2
Any empty container can make a great DIY miniature pond. Try and re-use materials you already have or collect unused stones by going on walks. If your basin is not watertight, add waterproof liners. A layer of stones will be an effective base for your pond.
Step 4
Space out your plants. Make sure they are just above water level, by adding extra stones if necessary.
Step 5
If you are unable to dig a hole in your garden to make your pond ground level, create a wildlife ramp for easy access. Add big stones or branches around your pot either at one side or surrounding the whole pot.
Step 3
You only need a few pond plants to make this habitat wild. Miniature waterlily, lesser spearwort, starwort and flowering rush are all great options.
Step 6
Use rainwater to fill up your pond. By adding a few big rocks that are halfsubmerged, you are providing extra resting places for animals to perch on, or an escape route to any accidental fall ins! If you make your own miniature pond, we’d love to see it, send your pictures to magazine@essexwt.org.uk
Essex Wildlife Trust’s vision is to achieve a county rich in wildlife, with people connected to nature. We know the importance of children engaging with the natural world during their formative years, for their wellbeing, development and in creating a love of the natural world.
Bringing people close to nature is key to unlocking a better, brighter future for everyone. The Trust’s Wilder Learning and Nature Nursery teams deliver a vast range of educational and outdoor learning programmes, events, and activities throughout the county. By providing opportunities for children to learn outdoors in a natural environment, they are able to develop their confidence, they’re allowed to be playful and they can learn all about the wild world around them.
I n s
p i r i n g a l i felong l o v e o f n a t u r e
Melanie Mewton, Outdoor Nursery Manager
Essex Wildlife Trust launched its pioneering outdoor Nature Nursery in October 2021. The gates opened to 29 children and families after a successful two week settling in programme where families spent time on site with their child’s dedicated key person and our highly-skilled nursery team.
Soon enough, children were investigating the site. In the garden they peered under the log circles for shy invertebrates. They found clusters of white ovule-shaped eggs, nurturing the eggs until they hatched. Who knew slug eggs could be so interesting!
The children were able to distinguish the differences between a millipede and centipede by counting the legs on each body segment. They have drawn beautiful observational drawings of Devil’s coach horse beetles and wonderful winter webs in the autumnal dew.
In the wildflower meadow, the children have been swinging in the hammocks watching the skies above, where we have admired views of red kites, cormorants, kestrels and herons gracefully gliding overhead. The children also notice patterns in nature, from cloud formations to predicting weather patterns. Lunchtimes are a joy; the children listen to the birdsong from the hedges and woodlands, they have become ‘Essex Wildlife Trust’s little twitchers!’, able to differentiate the trills and whistles of blue tits, wrens, robins and blackbirds. We are looking forward to listening out to the call of the cuckoo echoing through our woodland.
The children have been sowing wildflower seeds to attract bees and butterflies and vegetable seeds with our families in our 12x15ft polytunnel. We are hoping to harvest a bumper crop of vegetables and fruits for the autumn, becoming sustainable to create soups, stews and autumnal fruit teas.
We celebrate that each day is unique and inspiring for the children, developing a sense of awe and wonder in our natural world.
There has been a clear difference between some children in classrooms vs being outside. Some who struggle in the classroom can shine outside – they are confident and practical.
Photo: Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION
Ros Day-Williams, Outdoor Learning Officer
Funded by the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, Essex Wildlife Trust has been delivering this project aimed at connecting children and young people with outdoor activities, to improve their health and wellbeing. The project also includes families in the child-led activities, based on the Forest School ethos.
Essex Wildlife Trust has worked collaboratively with Community360, the Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Service (EWMHS), Colchester Borough Council, One Colchester and schools in Colchester and Tendring to deliver this fantastic opportunity to children and young people.
The Wild Wellbeing programme has been delivered to 20 schools over the last three years on school grounds and local accessible outdoor spaces. School staff also received free Forest School training provided by the Trust, focusing on understanding the natural environment and how to use it to increase wellbeing, therefore facilitating schools to continue sustainably.
The project has been so well received that many schools and families left asking for more sessions, due to the increased confidence and wellbeing of those young people involved, who gained skills and knowledge in accessing natural outdoor places. The project was extended to reach even more young people and the hope is that further funding will be found to continue this fantastic project.
Photo: Caroline Fitton
Nature Friendly Schools
Emma Peters, Wilder Learning Lead (South Essex)
The Nature Friendly Schools project has supported 20 different schools within disadvantaged communities, building resilience and strengthening their outdoor learning techniques with our expertise and guidance. Covid-19 only highlighted the obstacles these communities face, especially access to green space. Interventions helped green school grounds: planting trees and creating wildflower meadows, providing wooden planters, tools, and willow-dome classrooms.
We also helped overcome clothing barriers by providing welly boots and waterproofs to children. Sharing our outdoor learning expertise with teaching staff and classes in supported sessions meant staff had the tools and confidence to continue this work independently. There have undoubtedly been challenges and a lot of hard work along the way, but these only further the success and overall positive impact on the schools we have spent our time with.
After two years, the Nature Friendly Schools project ended in March. This project has shown promise for the future of outdoor learning – the hands-on experiences provided alongside the increase in understanding, appreciation and care for our wildlife, will thrive.
Tendring Loves Conservation
Judith Metcalfe, Wilder Learning Lead (North Essex)
Our Tendring Loves Conservation project is now into its second year. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund we are offering opportunities for families and schools to discover and connect with some of their local nature and wildlife. We have been enjoying regular outdoor sessions with toddlers and their families at Great Holland Pits and Wrabness nature reserves, facilitating the discovery of some beautiful local spaces and wildlife.
This project has given us the chance to work with schools across Tendring; with opportunities for school visits to explore and learn about their local wild spaces, improve their school grounds for wildlife and take part in Forest School themed after school clubs.
We have been installing willow fences and structures, planting wildflowers, shrubs and trees, improving ponds and creating minibeast hotels to improve biodiversity in school grounds and provide children and teachers with new natural resources to use outdoors.
