5 Magical Elements Plants Add to Ponds: Including Dragons!

instabutter Plants bring a lot to your pond. Of course there are the aromatics and amazing blooms, but you already know about that.

I’m going to tell you 5 things you may not know about, that plants bring to your pond, that can dramatically improve your life!

Okay, maybe not so dramatic, but some pretty dang cool stuff.

BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS!

Ponds, or waterfalls, but especially ponds WITH waterfalls bring birds in.

Spectacular, sparkling hummingbirds, flitting in and out of the waterfall, catching flying bugs, adorable finches, bathing and drinking, regal hawks cooling off, the list goes on and on, but you’re catching the drift.

Put out a few feeders, and you’ll get even more.

But then, you have to fill those feeders! Here’s the beauty of pond plants:

Many of the plants that you can put in and around your pond produce nectar for birds like orioles and hummingbirds, or they produce seeds after they flower, for seed eaters like finches.

Herbs are especially great seed producers and look and smell great around your pond.

Now, you won’t have to remember to fill up feeders, but your visiting birds have groceries!

Day and night, your new feathered friends will give you hours of fascinating entertainment, and provide the useful service of bug and mosquito control.

No worrying about zika or west nile for you!

BUTTERFLIES

Plants bring butterflies! Okay not all plants, but the right plants bring in a ton of butterflies.

Butterflies eat the nectar from many of the blooming flowers that you can plant in and around your pond.

They are especially attracted to many of the plants that have darker colored blooms like lilacs, fuchsia, bleeding heart and hummingbird plant.

Then they spend the rest of their time flitting around your pond looking pretty. Great bonus!

DRAGONFLIES

Dragonflies are voracious carnivores straight from the egg, ravenously consuming other insect larvae, including mosquito larvae.

As they mature and take flight, they commence consuming an even greater number of flying insects, such as mosquitos.

This helps reduce the risk of disease carrying pests in your neighborhood.

Plus, dragonflies are just cool to look at and play with. They will land right on an outstretched hand, allowing an up close and personal encounter, that will have your kids, or grandkids, and maybe even you, giggling in delight.

Chinese legend says that a dragonfly lands on you because it senses your inner peace. It’s like a personal stress test!

By adding tall plants the dragonflies can perch on and hunt from, you create inviting areas for dragonflies to hang out.

The more comfortable they are, the longer they will stay consuming those nasty, flying, bad, bugs like mosquitos.

BATS

Notorious for sucking blood, and hanging out with vampires, bats have a bad reputation. I’m here to bust that lie wide open.

Bats are incredibly helpful in your yard. They eat all kinds of annoying flying insects, and that includes mosquitos. (I hate to beat this dead horse into the ground, but everyone is concerned about zika lately)

In fact a single bat can consume up to 1000 mosquitos in a night. Yes, I said ONE THOUSAND. That’s a lot of vector control packed in to one tiny body.

Getting bats to come is a bit more difficult than dragonflies or hummingbirds though.

Plant a couple of taller trees or plants near your pond, and hang up some bat houses. The bats will move in and begin patrolling your grounds for invasive, disease carrying insects immediately upon arrival.

NIGHT LIFE (around your pond)

The last cool tip is WHITE flowers. White flowers come on all kinds of plants, but the best part of white flowers is the way they reflect the moonlight at night.

While most flowers appear to turn black at night, white flowers practically fluoresce in the moonlight, giving your pond an added dimension, and extra hours of enjoyment past sunset, without an extra electric bill.

Be sure to use a variety of white blooming plants to maximize the time period of blooms.

For a list of plants that will help attract birds, butterflies, or bats, or a list of plants with white flowers, email leslie@theponddigger.com

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Leslie Triplett, The Pond Gal