The things you can do with leftovers
Farrar Pond is a wonderful resource for people near and far. Not to mention birds near and far, for which it may be a valued migratory stopover or seasonal home; and animals mostly near, who remain as multi-generational permanent residents or come and go seasonally. Amphibians, for example, require vernal pools or other fish-free bodies of water for breeding; hence the massive salamander migrations on rainy spring nights.
Habitat loss, pollution, increased predation due to land opening and other factors have put great pressure on populations of species both delightful to know and vital to ecosystems. You can have the pleasure of welcoming these important, beautiful and useful critters closer into your life by offering a secure home in the form of a frog pond.
Building a frog pond on most suburban or rural lots can be easy and inexpensive—in many cases, the only necessary expense is a liner at about $200 for a smallish pond. No permitting is usually required. And when you provide water and a little vegetation, guests may be expected to arrive quickly, by air and from other ponds, streams and swamps up to hundreds of yards away. Frogs actively seek mating and living spaces. Turtles will find your pond during their spring egg-laying travels, and may stay for days, weeks or permanently. Dragonflies will lay eggs, and hang around all summer to gorge on your extra bugs.
[More to come…]
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