I think that is the source of the misunderstanding. Yes, a natural wetland is indeed not an ornamental pond. Allowing leaves to accumulate in an ornamental pond is indeed a poor choice. And if this thread was discussing ornamental ponds there would be some point to all the demonizing: "rat tail maggots", "pollution", etc.
But the OP wasn't talking about an ornamental pond and made a point of saying so.
If I might jump ahead to the next inevitable point "OK, well, a backyard wildlife pond isn't the Everglades!". Well yes. But it is very much like the millions of small pools found in forests and fields throughout the entire planet. In the world of bacteria and small bugs there is zero difference between a small backyard pond and a small pool or pond found any other place on the planet . If you took a water sample from the backyard pond and any wetland or small pool or pond and gave it to a biologist and a chemist they wouldn't be able to say which came from a backyard pond and which came from a wetland. And depending on the size and climate a natural backyard pond can attract and support many higher animals like frogs, turtles, snakes, salamanders. A good sized pond and surrounding cover can support many birds as well. I'm not talking just about as a water source but also as a food source as most natural ponds produce an abundance of insect life.
There have been many
studies which show salamanders and other amphibians to be one of the best indicators of a water system's health. So while some people might consider these to be cesspools the salamanders and scientists would disagree. I'm more inclined to believe a salamander over any internet post just based on past experience. I might even tend to believe the scientists too over an internet post, although I know in many circles science is still considered evil.
If a person dare think beyond a backyard goldfish tank you will find there's actually a pretty big and diverse world out there including a fairly large group of people dedicated to creating backyard habitats including those specifically for salamanders, more sensitive to pollution than even fish. And what's one of the things to add to the habitat...
dead and decaying leaves. And building a wildlife pond one important ingredient is organic matter,
like hay in this case, but any organic matter will do including leaves.
The bottom line is if every pond has to be the same thing, liner, potted plants, goldfish, then yeah, leaves are a terrible thing to add. But if a person expands their understanding of the world even just a tiny bit they might see there is a bigger world out there. That there are actually many kinds of ponds. Maybe not in this forum, but the info is out there for those who care.
