Last spring (pandemic lockdown time) I began designing and constructing a new major addition to my garden—a wildlife pond. On April 27, 2020, the water went in and the creatures began to arrive.
I designed the pond for two major reasons: to attract wildlife (particularly birds) and to enhance the beauty of my garden. The pond has succeeded beyond my expectations; my trail cam has recorded a family of raccoons swimming and playing in the water and a pair of foxes are regular nighttime visitors. But the birds have been the real revelation: since the creation of the pond, we've had visitors we've never seen before in our garden—Cedar waxwings, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers, an Indigo Bunting —and today, for the first time, a Summer Tanager. What is remarkable about all these avian and 4-footed visitors is that we're in an urban area—just three miles from the center of downtown Nashville. And our yard is relatively small — a little over 1/3 acre. That so much could be achieved for wildlife in such a small space gives me hope that even small changes in how we shape and tend our yards can have an outsized impact with helping the green world survive.
The pond has become the vital heart of our garden—it literally reflects the flowers and trees surrounding it and it seems to be a magnet for the birds we love.
So here's commemorating the first year of our Nashville wildlife pond. We can't wait to see the dragonflies return in the summer and we hope that perhaps an owl or two will stop by in the evening and grace the pebbled bank with their presence.
I designed the pond for two major reasons: to attract wildlife (particularly birds) and to enhance the beauty of my garden. The pond has succeeded beyond my expectations; my trail cam has recorded a family of raccoons swimming and playing in the water and a pair of foxes are regular nighttime visitors. But the birds have been the real revelation: since the creation of the pond, we've had visitors we've never seen before in our garden—Cedar waxwings, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers, an Indigo Bunting —and today, for the first time, a Summer Tanager. What is remarkable about all these avian and 4-footed visitors is that we're in an urban area—just three miles from the center of downtown Nashville. And our yard is relatively small — a little over 1/3 acre. That so much could be achieved for wildlife in such a small space gives me hope that even small changes in how we shape and tend our yards can have an outsized impact with helping the green world survive.
The pond has become the vital heart of our garden—it literally reflects the flowers and trees surrounding it and it seems to be a magnet for the birds we love.
So here's commemorating the first year of our Nashville wildlife pond. We can't wait to see the dragonflies return in the summer and we hope that perhaps an owl or two will stop by in the evening and grace the pebbled bank with their presence.
