One homeowner who wanted a little more nature in their yard was amazed by just how much the wildlife appreciated the change. They posted a charming video to Reddit to show off the upgrade.
"Added this pond to my yard this year," they said, describing the embellishment as a container pond featuring native plants.
Their video shows the process of creating the pond, which mostly consists of digging a hole and putting a large plastic tub — originally a water trough — in it.
"Filled it up with rainwater and five different types of native aquatic plants," they explained in the video, listing pickerelweed, coon's tail, mosquito fern, swamp sunflower, and katniss.
Native plants, especially flowers, are a huge draw for local wildlife, which rely on them for shelter and food. That makes them great for homeowners who want to see their yards brimming with life and activity — especially those who want to support pollinators.
It's easy too, as native plants are adapted to the local conditions, making them simple to grow and keep healthy. Plus, being able to rely on natural rainfall instead of needing extra irrigation makes them cheap.
This homeowner was pleased with the results. "Already had tadpoles, and several frogs call this place home," they said. "Even this winter I saw birds bathing which I rarely saw probably due to the fact I don't really have a 'beach' for them."
Their video also captured damselflies and a bumblebee visiting the pond.
Commenters wanted to follow their example. "How did you get frogs and dragonflies so quickly?" asked one user. "Knowing my luck this would be overrun with mosquitos by May."
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🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"I did have some mosquitos but nothing horrible and had some predacious diving beetles too which I think ate some larva," said the original poster. In another comment, they added, "Pretty sure the dragonfly came with one of my plants. I inspected them when they came and saw its larva stage. The frogs - came on their own. They needed a place to spawn I suppose."
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