Beneficial insects love a stock-tank pond too
A small water garden helps me endure a Texas summer that stretches well into October. The plinking and burbling of water, jewel-bright and pastel water lilies, and lush green lily pads all make the glaring Death Star (i.e., the Texas sun) less oppressive.
Coral-pink ‘Colorado’ water lily
Violet ‘Panama Pacific’ water lily
‘Panama Pacific’ and its reflection in a stainless steel floating ball
Chartreuse, sparkler-like heads of dwarf papyrus
Aside from its beauty, a pond also provides welcome habitat for beneficial insects. Bees, wasps, and other flying bugs stop by for a drink on hot summer days. Honeybees even carry water back to their hive and fan it with their wings to create air conditioning to cool the hive!
Dragonflies are my favorite insects to watch at the pond, especially the big red ones. Fast-flying dragons hunt other bugs, making them useful garden creatures, plus their hummingbird-like acrobatics are entertaining. This red male spends his days defending the pond against other males, chasing intruders into the trees before returning triumphantly to his perch. Female dragonflies hover over the water, dipping their tails to lay eggs.
Even on the laziest summer day, a pond attracts plenty of insect activity, although it’s easy to overlook if you’re not paying attention. Insects do so much for us: pollination, predation of other bugs, food for songbirds and other wildlife. Having a little pond or other water source is a good way to help them in return.
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Digging Deeper
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Where can I purchase the stone fish and gazing balls?
I found the stone fish at Hill Country Water Gardens & Nursery in Cedar Park, TX. The gazing balls are from Barton Springs Nursery, I think.
Your water lilies look fabulous. Unlike humans such as myself, they love heat. Enjoyed seeing the beauty of your pond on this first full day of Autumn. It’s still hot here too, but cooler weather is in sight.
I wish it were here, but hopefully by October the end will be in sight. I hope you get some cooler weather soon in L.A.
Love those water lilies. The purple one looks iridescent. That is one handsome dragonfly too.
I love seeing those dragonflies.
Your little pond is a wonderful thing. I’m impressed by how well your water lilies do and of course the wildlife it attracts is also a joy. Do you have raccoons in your area? I’d love to have a pond like yours – it’s something I dreamed about way back in the days I gardened in a tiny townhouse plot – but the raccoons here make a mess even of our fountain so the challenge would be safeguarding it from their nightly incursions.
Hi Kris. Yes, we have raccoons, but they’ve always been more hellbent on getting into our trash bin than into the pond. We now bungee the trash bin closed. By keeping the plants’ pots in the center of the pond, and having a steep-sided stock tank with no easy access, raccoons have only messed with the pond a few times, knocking over a pot or two in what I imagine is an attempt to snag a goldfish. That said, if you have troublesome raccoons, a pond could be more bother than it’s worth, as Lori at The Gardener of Good and Evil can attest. She says raccoons throw pool parties in her stock tank pond.
How do you keep it from becoming a mosquito breeding ground?
That’s actually the easiest part, Les. I’ve stocked the pond with mosquitofish (gambusia), which I never feed, and they make it their life’s work to eat any mosquito larvae. I never see wrigglers (larvae) in there, but if I ever did, a mosquito dunk would take care of it.
Where is the “like button”? Just kidding, but I really like everything about this – the beauty of your pond and the fact that the pond helps all the beneficial insects. I have a smaller stock pond (learned how to set it up with your tutorial) and have enjoyed it for years.
That’s so great to hear, Linda. A small pond is a great source of enjoyment, and less work than most people think.
Your stock pond looks great. What did you set it on? I suppose it needs a firm base. Did you run
an electrical outlet for the pump? I might like to try this in the future.
Thanks, Kathy. Let me refer you to my how-to post about making a stock-tank pond, which answers your questions in detail.
Your pond is looking beautiful! I love the dark foliage with the perched dragonfly. I, too, learned about stock tank ponds from you and absolutely love ours. It’s kind of ridiculous how much time my husband and I can spend staring into the depths of our pond (leopord frog tadpoles!), or watching the wildlife it attracts. I only wish I’d followed your lead *exactly* and gotten an 8′ diameter tank! Thanks for the inspiration, and the fun post.
I love hearing about all the Digging-inspired stock-tank ponds out there! I’m glad you enjoy yours too, Maggie. 🙂
I adore watching the dragonflies too! In June & July, there are several mating pairs competing for territory around my pond, and always at least one perched on my crinum or on the supports for the &*&*$# raccoon fencing..
Hey, it’s good to know that raccoon fencing has a secondary benefit.
Is there a way to keep raccoons out of the tank as one side of my new stock pond is set into my deck . I have not completed the set up as yet they are still installing my backyard landscape, but I know we have raccoons as we back up to a wild green belt and the raccoons discovered bird seed on my deck a few months ago.
Thank you
Ginger
Hi Ginger, thanks for commenting. I don’t know of a way to keep raccoons out of a pond short of fencing around it or putting a metal grate of some kind across the top. But discouraging them would begin with not having things that entice them, like birdseed, dog/cat food, or unsecured trash bins. I keep my surface-level pond plants pushed in toward the center of the tank too so that raccoons can’t easily use them as stepping stones.