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Articles
Many of our articles are written by my personal friend Jamie Beyer. Jamie is a vital part of the Central Iowa Water Garden Association, founder and past president. Jamie is one of the Midwest's foremost experts on water gardening. In addition to his frequent lectures and published articles he owns Midwest Waterscapes, Boone, Iowa. More of his work can be found in "All About Garden Pools and Fountains" which he co-authored with Veronica Fowler. His work is also featured in the Summer issue of Pondkeeper. He is a Master gardener and has a Master degree is Fish and Wildlife Biology.
Jamie Beyer can be emailed at BeyersBog@aol.com Email questions to Jamie Please be sure to tell him Richdeer3 Pond Supplies sent you.
If you need immediate help for a problem please call me at 641-750-3062 or Jamie at 515-433-0194.
WILDLIFE ASSOCIATED WITH WATER GARDENS
(and ways to deter the unwelcome ones)
by Jamie Beyer, Midwest Waterscapes
Water Garden Consultantllnstaller
When dealing with wildlife there are always exceptions to the "rule". So please keep this
in mind as you read over this list and recommendations.
Most critters are attracted to your water for bathing, drinking, reproducing, food andlor it's
home to them. The species of wildlife that show up in your water garden depends on three basic
factors.
1) The size of the water garden. Anything larger than 1000 gallons will attract almost all the
wildlife that is listed on these informational sheets. Smaller water features will also attract and
hold wildlife but the variety will be less.
2) How close your water garden is to other naturally occurring water - tike farm ponds, lakes,
creeks, and rivers. Animals like muskrats, turtles, and frogs can easily move a quarter mile to get
to a garden pond. This distance is within the home range of many species of wildlife. Most of the
animals that migrate from a close body of water are not beneficial.
3) Age of the water garden. It takes time for some animals to find out that water is on your
property.
BENEFICIAL WILDLIFE - Most people will consider most of the following beneficial
but some may not. This depends on your point-of-view.
DraaOnflkS and Damselflies - Another good name for them are "mosquito hawks" -
their prey includes mosquitoes and gnats. Very desirable and there are many species. They
need the larger water garden( > 500 gallons). Tub gardens, for example, will not normally attract
them. The larval stage (nymphs) is a very important part of our pond's ecosystem. Young fish
can be eaten by them but their overall benefit far exceeds this aspect.
Aquatic Insects - Most types are desirable and the "web of life" becomes very evident when
these insects are looked for.
Toads and Other Types of Amphibians - They can add a great sound to the
garden in the spring and early summer. Also, the adults are great natural predators in the garden
of slugs and insects that eat garden plants. Bullfrogs can be a predator of some of your desirable
wildlife and small goldfish (they eat anything they can get in their mouth). Small bullfrogs are
okay.
Tadpoles Or Toadpoles (these are the aquatic stage of frogs and toads) - They really
cannot control problem algae -- ex string algae, pea-green soup algae. Lots of fun, especially for
the kids. In some situations, we may encounter so many tadpoles that the water will be literally
black with them. This is not good for your filters, fish and the ecology of your pond. Simply net
out a lot of the eggs after they are laid and take them to a friend's pond.
-Birds - If you provide a shallow place in a stream or in the edge of your water garden, the birds
will show up. You'll be creating a natural birdbath. tf the water is moving in the shallow spot,
more birds will be attracted. Most birds are desirable but some are not. Methods of dealing with
the less desirable types are below.
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S€l& - Many types. If you buy snails, there are tropical varieties that will die when the water
temperatures drop in the fall. You may want to add some that were caught from a local lake or
you can buy some. They eat algae, uneaten fish food, etc. - good scavengers.
WILDLIFE AND CRllTERS NOT WANTED (but can show up). ~t is very
important to recognize that most ponderers will never see most of these animals around their
pond. This listing is for those of you that may have some fish missing, plants eaten or your pond
emptied out and wondered why.
For any wildlife that Drew on the fish, the immediate protection for fhem is to DYE the
water a black color immediafetv when you see vou have a problem. I would recommend that dye
is keDf on hand af all times for ememencies.
- muddy footprints in and around the pond - potted plants tipped over
-water lily leaves ripped and in disarray - fish missing - especially if the pond edge is sloping.
MANAGEMENT: - boxtraps - very effective but if you relocate them, they will need to be moved 20 to 30 miles -
otheiwise they will be beat you back to the pond. This advice comes from years of experience.
Our raccoon population is so high that 1 recommend euthanizing them. Always check local
regulations.
- do not feed your pets outside with a feed pan always filled with food. This always invites
raccoons to your garden as wet1 as skunks and .... Once the animals have found the food pan
and your pond, it is extremely difficult to discourage them from returning to your garden.
- electric fence wires or electric fence mesh - not necessarily an eyesore. Very effective and can
be controlled with a timer to be on only at night. - covering a small tub or pond with wire or plywood at night. - keep a large dog that has free range of the pond area (this will also work for mink). Very
effective. - use a motion activated sprinkler (Heron Starer)- This is a great invention to scare off raccoons
as well as herons, dogs, and even children. It's a motion sensor that detects an animal and then
sprays a stream of water in it's direction.
- capsicum pepper - This may work. However, it does not discourage them in all situations. - cover very hot peppers (ex. habanero) with peanut butter and place them around the water
garden. Discourages them from returning.
- playing an all-night radio talk show and leaving a light on. This has been reported to work but
most wildlife experts say that they will get used to the situation.
- build the pond right to begin with. Sloping edges on your pond invites wildlife. It is natural to
have this type of edge and so wildlife (including raccoons) can easily enter your pond and cause
damage. Build the edge of your pond so that it drops immediately to at least one foot in depth. In
order for raccoons to catch fish or damage plants they have to go swimming and completely
immerse themselves. They prefer to just wade and, if swimming, they are not very good fish
catchers.
Snakes. Usually only a problem in very small ponds of 500 gallons or less. The fish can be
more easily cornered.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE: - small fish are eaten
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- easily seen in and around the pond
MANAGEMENT:
- can be easy to catch.
- use a minnow trap baited with a small fish. Keep part of the trap above the water line so that
any captured snake won't drown.
- use Snake Away. However, wildlife experts say that this stuff will not work on most nonvenomous
snakes.
- adopt a King Snake. They eat other snakes.
China Mark Moth. The larvae of the moth can really chew up your water lily leaves
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
- dime to fifty cent size chunks of your water lily leaves will be gone. Normally very clean cuts.
- during the day the larvae will create a "hide" using chunks of water lily leaves that will cover
themselves. Check for the pieces of leaves that are attached to another leaf. Pull open and the
larvae will be inside. Check both top, bottom, and stems of water lily leaves.
MANAGEMENT:
- hand-picking where there are just a few or use Btk bacteria (Bacillus fhuringiensis var.kurstaki)
in heavy infestations. This is the organic pest control used to control cabbage loppers in the
garden.
- always check newly purchased plants for this type of damage and remove them before placing
in your pond or simply cut all surface leaves off water lilies on arrival.
- quarantine water lilies for a week and then re-inspect.
Aphids. Water gardeners hate them because they can create an eyesore even though in light
infestations they will do very little damage.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
- small gray specks on the upper surFace of water lily leaves, on the underside of a lotus leaf
(where the leaf petiole connects to an aerial leaf), water hyacinths, water lettuce and other water
plants.
- damage is normally minimal to the plants. There may be some deformation of leaves in heavy
infestations
MANAGEMENT:
- spraying on Herbal Aphid Control may repel them. Apply early and go by the directions,
- lay newspapers or bed sheets on top of the leaves for a day.
- good water lily leaf pruning will keep aphids under control. Any leaf that shows signs of
yellowing should be immediately pruned off. Most aphids spend their lifetime on one single leaf
along with several generations of offspring. By removing older leaves, you remove a significant
proportion of a population.
- overwintering water plants indoors can repopulate your pond with aphids when plants are
placed back outside in the spring. Check for aphids on these plants and remove them before
placement in your pond.
- spraying off the aphids with a stream of water may help in reducing the population. It is hoped
that your fish will gobble them up when the aphids are bobbing on the surface. Maybe a very
small number will get eaten but it is not significant.
- avoid buying plants that have aphids. Remove surface leaves of water lilies and inspect water
hyacinth and water lettuce very carefully. Quarantine plants for a week and then re-inspect.
Voles. These are small rodents resembling mice but with a short tail.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
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- a small hole in the liner around the edge of the pond . - their small runways can be seen in the grass especially after a snow mett or in the snow after
an inch or two has fallen.
MANAGEMENT: - use poison but be careful that the stuff does not get into the pond's water. ZP Rodent Bait is a
recommended poison.
- various traps.
- keep grass and other vegetation short around the pond edge works very well as a permanent
solution.
Nia ht Crawlers and Worm's. Yes, fish like to eat them but on new ponds the shear
numbers of worms that can enter the water garden is enormous. Most in-ground NEW ponds will
have the right conditions for this to occur. It seems that in most cases, that the worms and
nightcrawlers eventually learn that there is water there instead of ground that they used to crawl
over and through. After a coupje of years there will be less of this sort of problem. The worm
population may also start to diminish in the immediate area.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
- pea green soup water. Worms will crawl into the pond especially after a rain and die there.
This creates a high nutrient load in the pond creating conditions that will enhance the growth of
the planktonic algae.
MANAGEMENT:
- for a year or two, you can simply net out the dead or dying worms. If your pond has rock on the
bottom, the worms will crawl under the stone and die there. In this situation you will not be able
to remove them and pea-green water can result.
- put large fish in the pond. Hopefully the fish can keep up with the numbers of worms that can
crawl in.
The fallowing types of animals are not normally a problem unless your pond is
close to other naturally occurring water.
Muskrats. These guys can dig (cut) into your liner and drain your pond
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
- water lily leaves cut off at the rhizome. Leaf and its petiole is intact (generally speaking).
- marginal plants may be chewed off.
- they can be seen at twilight swimming across the surface of the pond.
- potted plants may be tipped over.
- major leak in the pond
MANAGEMENT:
- easily trapped and removed. Get permission from your local game warden before traps are set.
- plastic coated wetded wire laid down over your tiner is one solution. This wire can then be
covered with rocks.
Turtles - Their sharp claws can cut your liner. You may want some kinds of turtles but if you
want targe ones (greater than 4 inch diameter), then build the pond out of rigid liner or completely
cover the liner with rocks. If you add them, you will need to have a retaining wall around the pond
(or sink the pond deeper into the ground) to keep them in.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
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I water lily blossoms are cleanly cut off (bitten off) at the rhizome
- claw marks around the pond's edge.
- they are very subtle - watch the pond surface for their nose to stick up out of the water. Be
patient while looking for this.
MANAG EM ENT:
Turtles can be caught and removed, hopefully, before they do much damage.
Great Blue Herons & other Heron like birds - LOVE to eat fish.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
- easily observed during the day stalking around the edge of your pond. - fish are spooked
- lost fish
MANAGEMENT:
- set up a motion activated sprinkler (ex. Heron Scarer). Referred to under control of raccoons.
- build the pond with vertical edges with the shelf depth being at least 12 inches deep. Sloping
edges invite herons to wade into your pond while stalking for fish. However, they still can stalk
around the outside edge of the pond even though they are not as effective.
- set up a net over the pond.
- set up a monofilament line about 8" off the ground around the perimeter of the pond.
- provide cover with lots of plants.
- add a glazing globe that is highly reflective. They do not like seeing their reflection. - add an alligator decoy I
- use firecrackers to scare them off.
Kinafishers - Another fish eating -bird. Some people enjoy the diving of the kingfishers and
just replace the fish. However, if your fish are valuable, this is not an option.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
- small fish disappearing
- easily seen perched on an overhanging branch or wire. - fish are spooked
MANAGEMENT:
- remove overhanging branches or wires
- install a fountain that falls onto the pond surface. With surface agitation a Kingfisher cannot
see into the water. You may run this only during the day so that your lily leaves can breath at
night.
- install netting over the pond for a week or two may be enough to discourage the bird.
WatWfOWl- All waterfowl can defecate a lot creating conditions for a planktonic algae bloom.
Especially if the body of water is small andlor there are a lot of waterfowl
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
Geese and Swans - will eat grass like plants such as roundstem and sedges but will most likely
leave water lilies alone.
Ducks and Coots -will eat water lilies and other aquatic plants.
MANAGEMENT:
- large dog having free range of the water garden area.
- motion activated sprinkler(Heron Scarer)
- firecrackers
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-Mink - One mink can eat all your fish in a few days.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
- all sizes of fish are eaten
- can clean a pond out of fish within a few days - scales and parts of fish mav be seen around the pond or close by - nothing else will be disturbed - fish are spooked
- most predation by mink occurs during times when the water gets colder. The fish are more
vulnerable to being preyed upon by mink because their metabotism is so slow. The mink are
warm blooded and are fast enough to catch them then. Fish have a better chance of surviving
mink predation during the summer because the reverse is true.
MANAGEMENT: - remember the black dye for an immediate solution. - keep a large dog that has run of the pond area. - can be removed by trapping, however, an experienced trapper may be needed. Get permission
from your local game warden before traps are set. Contact me for more information on an easy
set: to make for mink. - keep inexpensive small fish. Replace fish as needed.
- provide structure in your pond. Black plastic storage crates (milk crates) are a good example.
Set your potted water lilies on top of them. The fish can hide in them and the mink can't follow.
- a 1 inch X 1 inch welded wire cover placed on top of the ice over the aeration hole will provide
protection as long as ice covers the pond.
Otters. The populations are steadily increasing in the Midwest but are still an unusual visitor.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
- big fish will he eaten first - usually
- look for their droppings on a rock or log around the pond (droppings will have scales in them).
- fish are spooked.
Crayfish.
Mot normally a problem in lined water gardens unless they migrate from a nearby streamllake or
are introduced accidentally with aquatic plants.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE: - water lily leaves will be floating. The crayfish will cut off the leaf petiole in their attempt to eat
the rhizome. Muskrats will cause similar damage. - very few new water lily leaves will show on the pond's surface. - in dear water they can easily be seen on the pond bottom.
- will eat submerged plants
MANAGEMENT:
- use a crayfish trap
- net them out - remember crayfish swim backwards in their escape attg,mpkA +e,-+1 * - drain the pond and get rid of the muck and crayfish. I T
- can be controlled by fish parasitic controls, such as Dimilin.
.._ -
, ,- '.'.
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DEER - Becoming more of a problem as the deer population increases.
RECOGNIZING THE DAMAGE:
- water lily leaves eaten, especially near the edge of the pond. Blooms also eaten
- tropical water lilies will be sought after first.
- their hoof prints are very evident.
MANAGEMENT:
- a good underlayment is a must because their hooves can puncture holes in the liner.
- if deer are known to be in the area, design the pond with a rock edge that is at least 24 inches
wide. Rocks must be 6-18 inches in diameter and be “roundish”. Most existing garden pond’s
edge can be adapted to having the edge widened.
- 8 foot high fence
- motion activated sprinkler can work very well.
DOGS -
- Can be trained to stay out of the pond.
- Their claws can damage the liner. So, if dogs continually have access to the pond, make sure
the liner is protected with stone. - Motion activated sprinklers may not be effective with most dogs.
Visit the Iowa DNR for more wildlife tips
IA DNR: Water Garden Considerations
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Things
to consider BEFORE digging
(Compiled by Jamie
Beyer, Water Garden Consultant)
1. Where will the pond be located?
Need to consider view, sunlight, trees. Make a drawing to scale,
then lay out the outline of the pond in the yard with a garden hose or
something similar. Look at it for a few days. Watch how the
sun hits it at different times of the day and look at it from different
locations in the yard and house.
2. What is the
style or design of your present landscaping. Formal or Informal:
3. Do you want water plants
and/or fish? The answer to this question affects many of the other
considerations.
4. Is some sort of city permit
needed?
5. What are the safety issues?
-
Will children have access to the pond?
-
Is fencing necessary?
-
Liability insurance?
-
Are there any potential hazards that
should be avoided? Free ranging dogs, high raccoon population?
6. What materials will be
used to build the pond? Concrete, PVC, EPDM, fiberglass or performed
pond?
7. How convenient is electricity?
8. Are there any underground
utilities in the area of digging? Water, telephone, electric, gas
lines, sewer or septic field. Call IOWA ONE-CALL (1-800-292-99) to
locate many of these utilities. For homeowner-installed utilities
(for example, septic fields or electric service in the landscape that was
installed by an electrician that you hired) you will need to hire someone
to locate these.
9. What is the source for a
water supply and how close?
10. Where will the water drain when
the pond is emptied or overflowed?
11. Will water from heavy rains,
sprinkler systems or run-off from lawns contaminate the pond? Edge
of the pond should be a minimum of 2" to 4" above grade depending on grade
of y9our landscape. Contrary to what you may think, do not build
in a low spot unless you make provisions to divert any runoff during heavy
rains. Your yard can become a river during a 5- to 10-inch rain.
Fish, liner, and plants can be washed out. Organic mater of all sorts
is washed in. Bog gardens will work fine in low spots.
12. What types of filters will be
used? Need to take into account the number and types of fish in the
pond and how much of your ponds surface is covered by lily leaves.
13. How shallow is the water table?
This usually is not a problem in Iowa.
14. How deep do you want your water
garden?
-
Consider height of chest waders
or hip waders.
-
Need a minimum depth of 18 to
24" to overwinter hardy water lilies in the pond. In northern Iowa,
you need to be 24" deep and southern Iowa, 18" are okay.
15. General design considerations:
-
What type of edging? Design
may incorporate ways to keep grass clippings and other yard debris out
of the water. For example, if wood chips are used close to the edge
of the pond, choose the heavier types, since they are less likely to blow
into the water.
-
Consider width of in-pond ledges.
A minimum of a 12" width should be used and, if space allows, 18 to 24
inches are better.
16. Construction Considerations:
-
Do all your planning before you
begin to dig. Once the soil structure is disturbed by digging it
is difficult to recreate the stability of that soil. If settling
occurs under edgings, waterfalls and streams, big problems result.
-
In areas where soil has been brought
in to bring the grade up, it will need to be compacted. If this cannot
be done satisfactorily, then a concrete footing will need to be poured.
17. Waterfall design considerations:
-
For each 100 gallons/hr pumped
down a waterfall, there should be a flow 1" deep and 2" wide (approximately).
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Consider neighbors' attitude to
the sound of a planned waterfall. A gentle waterfall most everybody
would welcome but a tall, large volume waterfall, may be considered noise.
May consider the option of adding a timer on this type of waterfall to
shut off at night. This also saves electricity. However, your
biological filter and the aeration of a pond may be negatively affected
by turning off the water pump. Timers are useful on water features
that are not associated with a water garden.
-
Build a large enough water retention
pocket for the waterfall stonework to be built within. Without this
step, leaks are probable. This pocket is located under the waterfalls
and acts as a "bib" which returns water to the pond.
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Last Update July
30, 2002
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