Here at Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Kingcombe Centre near Toller Porcorum, we’re keeping a watchful eye on our newly renovated dipping pond to see what appears as we move into spring. It all looks a bit quiet at the moment, but we have made sure it has all the elements of a super wildlife pond; clean unpolluted water, lots of small niches for bugs to hide and near to other high quality ponds so that dragonflies, beetles and invertebrates can find it and move in easily.

 

Back in November, volunteers from HMRC helped us clear out some excess weeds so that we can get the pond back in good order, to encourage amphibians in particular. The autumn is one of the best times to have a bit of a sort out in a pond as most amphibians leave the pond and over winter hide under leaves, logs or rocks until they have completed their lifecycle. We recommend only taking out some extra weeds, dead leaves or sediment at a time, (no more than a fifth if you can) on an annual basis in a garden pond, so that you don’t upset the balance of the pond by releasing too many nutrients, (causing unsightly green algal blooms) or removing too many of the minibeasts living in the sediment at the bottom.

 

Tomorrow – I’ll tell you about our dragons…

 

Dr Rachel Janes – Pond Conservation officer