Building a wildlife pond in your backyard will attract a plethora of pond animals and provide hours of nature-watching entertainment. Before you get started, read these tips on how to build a natural pond, attract local wildlife, and maintain water quality all year.
How to Build a Wildlife Pond
Start by finding a suitable location for your backyard wildlife pond. Look for a partially shaded area, preferably near a meadow or forest where wild animals currently roam. Identify water quality challenges like farmland runoff and excessive debris from falling leaves, and either avoid such areas or prepare for some extra effort to keep your natural pond balanced.
When you start digging your pond, incorporate gradual, sloping sides so small animals can safely enter and exit without the risk of drowning. Further ensure varmint safety and add a basking location by placing a sturdy log or rock that bridges the deepest area of your shoreline to dry ground.
Before filling it with water, decide how you want to aquascape the pond bottom. Plan to sow ample submerged vegetation to provide areas for critters to eat, live, and reproduce. Toss in a few logs and other spacious hiding spots to give pond animals extra security from predators.
While you can leave your pond natural without any equipment, it will fill up with muck and algae faster than you’d expect, soon becoming a swamp on its journey to returning to solid land. We recommend adding at least one diffused pond aerator to circulate the water and prevent excessive muck accumulation. Aeration is especially crucial in backyard frog ponds, since amphibians require highly oxygenated water to thrive.
Natural Backyard Pond Care
Natural pond cleaning techniques enable you to maintain clean and clear water without relying on harsh chemicals that could harm sensitive pond animals. Proactive pond care creates an environment that resists poor water conditions by supporting a self-sustaining ecosystem complete with beneficial bacteria and water-filtering plants. These organisms work together to reduce the nutrients that fuel algae growth and eliminate organic waste that causes cloudy, smelly water.
DefensePAC natural pond care products are the perfect solution for small wildlife ponds up to 10,000 gallons. Each package includes three strains of beneficial bacteria for every season, an oxygen-powered pond cleaner, and a pond flocculant to bind phosphate and buffer pH swings. Airmax ClearPAC Plus provides natural cleaning supplies for larger ponds and lakes, with two beneficial bacteria strains, a flocculant, and Nature’s Blue Pond Dye.
When winter settles on your backyard wildlife pond, you can ensure a comfortable hibernation for aquatic inhabitants by continuously running your aeration system, particularly in shallow areas. The air bubbles maintain a vent hole in the ice, forcing toxic gases out of the water so sleeping pond animals can breathe easily.
Backyard Wildlife Pond Ideas
Cornell University outlines unique ways to attract wildlife to your natural backyard pond. Building microhabitats like isolated seasonal pools, swampy banks, and fallen trees can bring certain aquatic wildlife that require special conditions to reproduce. Adding floating nesting boxes allows songbirds and waterfowl to call your pond home, giving your family a unique opportunity to observe these beautiful creatures all year round.
More About Wildlife Pond Animals
Do you want to learn more about attracting (or repelling) pond wildlife in your area? Give us a call at 866-POND-HELP or contact us online to connect with an experienced Pond Coach ready to answer your questions.
Keep reading about pond animals in the following related articles:
Freshwater Frogs of North America
Where do snakes go during winter?
Last Updated: June 12, 2025